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)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

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