SOLAR: With three open seats on the state’s utility commission, this year’s election could have a major impact on solar development in Arizona. (Capitol Media Services)
ALSO:
• The political committee behind a controversial solar amendment in Florida has deleted online references linking it to an executive who was exposed for saying the amendment is designed to deceive the public. (Miami Herald)
• Regulatory hurdles and resistance by a major utility are creating roadblocks for community solar projects in Detroit. (Midwest Energy News)
***SPONSORED LINK: End your year on a strong note at Solar Power PV Conference & Expo-Chicago. Join hundreds of solar professionals and 40+ exhibitors for two days of cutting-edge education and networking. Register today! Expo passes start at $60.***
PIPELINES:
• A “riot” by 300 protestors opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline led to more than 80 arrests in North Dakota on Saturday. (NBC News)
• Energy groups say the Obama administration is ignoring “the rule of law in an attempt to halt infrastructure development” by blocking construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline on a stretch of federal land until a review is completed. (The Hill)
• A filmmaker known for his criticism of environmentalists says his crew were held hostage in their vehicle for 30 minutes by Dakota Access Pipeline protesters because interviewers asked them about their usage of fossil fuels. (Forum News Service)
• Over 800 people gather in Los Angeles to protest the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, and an Oklahoma tribe donates $10,000 to support the fight in North Dakota. (Reuters/Associated Press)
POLLUTION: A storm causes a pipeline to rupture in Pennsylvania, sending about 55,000 gallons of gasoline into a creek. (Associated Press)
COAL:
• A federal hearing on a proposed coal-export terminal along a river in Washington state is expected to draw hundreds of concerned residents. (Associated Press)
• Montana settles a decades-long dispute over the taxation of coal extracted from tribal lands. (Associated Press)
• The future of the coal industry is a major issue in a Colorado congressional race. (Inside Energy)
OIL & GAS:
• A decision by Exxon, BP and ConocoPhillips to pull out of a giant natural gas liquefaction plant in Alaska has “ruined” a village that was partially razed to make way for the project. (Associated Press)
• Colorado State University will conduct a two-year study to measure the pollutants coming from 80 natural gas compressor stations. (Denver Business Journal)
• Oil companies could tap many of their “drilled but uncompleted” wells in the next 18 months, according to experts. (Wall Street Journal)
• The number of unemployment claims made by oil and gas workers in Colorado drops from 7 percent to 1.5 percent. (Denver Post)
UTILITIES: The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission reaches a settlement to allow a company developing a 192-mile transmission line from Canada to operate as a utility in the state. (Utility Dive)
GEOTHERMAL: The Bureau of Land Management will sell geothermal leases for land in California, Nevada and Utah – the latter of which hasn’t had a federal geothermal lease bid in six years. (Deseret News)
NUCLEAR: Communities are stuck with nuclear waste and job losses when nuclear plants close. (NPR)
RENEWABLE ENERGY:
• The U.S. Navy has become a clean energy leader by procuring solar, undertaking battery storage projects and using microgrids on bases. (Greentech Media)
• A Minnesota project that is nearing completion should cut energy expenditures for three buildings by up to 40 percent annually, becoming the nation’s largest property assessed clean energy (PACE)-financed project. (Midwest Energy News)
EMISSIONS: A new methane rule is causing problems for 81 landfills producing electricity in California. (Los Angeles Times)
CLIMATE: Lawyers for Exxon Mobil will attempt to block demands from New York’s attorney general for accounting documents about how climate change may affect the company’s finances in state court on Monday. (Bloomberg)
COMMENTARY:
• Washington state’s carbon-tax initiative is the wrong approach for addressing climate change. (Seattle Times)
• Florida voters should reject state’s deceitful anti-solar policy. (Tampa Bay Times)