REGULATION: The House votes to overturn a rule limiting methane emissions from oil and gas operations on public lands. (Associated Press)
ALSO:
• Using a rarely invoked law, Congress is rolling back a list of oil and gas regulations in a move that industry leaders are calling “a big, fat victory” after eight years under Obama. (New York Times)
• Many Westerners don’t want Congress to kill a rule limiting methane emissions, citing health concerns. (Energywire)
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ADVOCACY: Thousands of people in Los Angeles protest President Trump’s order to revive the Dakota Access Pipeline. (Los Angeles Times)
OIL & GAS:
• Democratic lawmakers in Washington state are working to tighten rules on oil transportation, as more crude is expected to flow through the state from Canada. (Associated Press)
• The American Petroleum Institute airs its first Super Bowl commercial. (USA Today)
PIPELINES:
• If Congress passes a tax on imported Canadian oil, it could make the Keystone XL pipeline economically unrealistic. (Bloomberg)
• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approves a $4.2 billion natural gas pipeline that will run from West Virginia to Michigan, despite objections from landowners. (Associated Press)
• The Army Corps of Engineers orders pipeline protesters to evacuate a camp in North Dakota due to the “high potential for flooding” in the area, and Bureau of Indian Affairs agents are sent to assist with the effort. (NBC, Washington Post)
• North Dakota regulators say the developer of the Dakota Access Pipeline must present evidence in court to prove it didn’t willfully violate state rules by diverting construction around Native American artifacts without informing the proper authorities. (Associated Press)
• The Dakota Access Pipeline is expected to start operating in the second quarter of the year, according to an oil company executive whose company holds a 25 percent stake in the project. (Reuters)
• As politicians push to revive the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, experts say the country may not need so many new oil pipelines. (Seattle Times)
FRACKING: With a two-year moratorium on fracking set to expire, lawmakers in Maryland introduce a bill to permanently ban the practice. (ThinkProgress)
COAL: A train is derailed in Virginia, spilling coal from up to 44 railcars. (Associated Press)
UTILITIES: California produces a huge surplus of power, which translates into staggering electricity costs for residents. (Los Angeles Times)
SMART METERS: The number of smart electric meters installed across the Midwest more than quadrupled between 2010 and 2015, with Michigan and Illinois taking the lead, according to a recent analysis of government data. (Midwest Energy News)
POLITICS: The Trump administration lifts a temporary freeze on contracts and grant approvals at the EPA. (Associated Press)
CLIMATE: A Republican representative introduces legislation to strip the EPA of its authority to tackle climate change by forbidding federal agencies from regulating greenhouse gases. (Huffington Post)
RENEWABLE ENERGY: A bill to increase the use of renewable energy goes forward in Maryland, despite a hard-fought battle by the governor and Republican lawmakers, who insisted the law is not affordable. (Baltimore Sun)
SOLAR:
• Texas-based NRG Energy makes a deal allowing a Honolulu utility to buy power from solar energy farms on Oahu that were owned by bankrupt SunEdison. (Pacific Business News)
• A New Mexico solar company announces a $10 million expansion, including over 100 new jobs. (Albuquerque Business First)
• Many solar companies have suffered by pursuing short-term growth over a long-term strategy for residential solar. (Motley Fool)
• More utilities are turning to community solar, partly to guard themselves against competition from residential solar panels. (Associated Press)
GEOTHERMAL: Clean energy advocates in Virginia are pursuing a geothermal tax credit and trying to learn from a similar move in South Carolina. (Southeast Energy News)
COMMENTARY: Putting Scott Pruitt in charge of the EPA could cause irreversible damage to the planet, according to the Los Angeles Times editorial board.