CLEAN POWER PLAN: In what one legal scholar calls a “stunning development,” the Supreme Court grants a temporary stay blocking enforcement of the Clean Power Plan while legal challenges play out. (New York Times)
ALSO:
• It remains to be seen what the court’s decision foretells for the Clean Power Plan itself. (Vox)
• The Obama administration vows to press ahead with the plan. (Associated Press)
• The decision could threaten the credibility of the Paris climate accord. (InsideClimate News)
• Analysts say the decision won’t have any “practical market implictations” for coal. (Bloomberg)
• Montana’s governor halts work on the state’s implementation plan. (Associated Press)
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SOLAR JOBS REPORT:
• California’s solar industry added 20,000 jobs last year, and now employs more people than the state’s top five utilities combined, according to an industry report. (Los Angeles Times, Solar Foundation)
• Nevada still has the highest number of solar jobs per capita, while New Jersey lags relative to its solar output. (Las Vegas Review-Journal, Bergen County Record)
SOLAR:
• SolarCity is struggling financially amid resistance from utilities and other setbacks. (International Business Times)
• In briefs filed with Florida’s Supreme Court, critics say a proposed Constitutional amendment backed by utilities is misleading and is often confused with a competing proposal. (Politico Florida)
TRANSMISSION: Plans proceed for long-distance transmission lines to carry wind energy from the Great Plains to more populated areas. (Bloomberg)
ELECTRIC CARS: Tesla’s new Model 3 could sell for as low as $25,000 after tax credits. (Bloomberg)
CLIMATE:
• A look back at how President Obama moved forward on climate change after the failure of cap-and-trade. (The Hill)
• Prior to the Clean Power Plan, a group of 39 states had drafted a more aggressive plan to cut emissions by 42 percent. (Utility Dive / Union of Concerned Scientists)
OIL AND GAS: Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley says President Obama’s $10-per-barrel oil tax “will die a quick death in Congress.” (Radio Iowa)
COAL:
• North Carolina imposes $6.6 million fine on Duke Energy for coal ash disposal violations. (Charlotte Observer)
• Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell is standing in the way of legislation that could rescue health and pension funds for retired miners. (Washington Post)
NUCLEAR:
• Federal regulators approve two new reactors at a Texas plant. (Houston Chronicle)
• A Georgia bill would prevent a utility from passing on costs after 2017 for the Plant Vogtle project to ratepayers. (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
BIOMASS:
• Arizona officials approve a permit for a power plant that will be fueled by trimmings from forest thinning operations. (Arizona Republic)
• Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s State of the State address contains a push for biomass, along with skepticism about wind and solar. (Energy Policy Update)
COMMENTARY:
• How moneyed interests are holding back U.S. action on climate change. (Al Jazeera)
• Gasoline keeps getting dirtier, while the alternatives keep getting cleaner. (Vox)