EFFICIENCY: As the quality of LEDs improves and costs continue to fall, GE says it will phase out CFL bulbs. (New York Times)

SOLAR:
• Hawaii utility companies have installed 77,000 solar systems across the state, representing 17 percent of all customers. (Pacific Business Journal)
• Why a small Boston suburb is seeing a solar boom. (Wicked Local Melrose)

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COAL:
• New federal rules meant to improve air quality in underground coal mines take effect this week. (Associated Press)
• What should we do with coal plants after they’re shut down? (Pacific Standard)

POLLUTION:
• Air pollution caused by the energy sector alone costs more than $100 billion a year in damages as a result from health impacts. (Washington Post)
• A bipartisan coalition of Utah lawmakers push for measures to improve air quality. (Deseret News)

OIL AND GAS:
• BP reports an annual loss of $6.5 billion, its largest ever. (Reuters)
• The Interior Department will stop issuing fracking permits off California’s coast as it studies the issue further. (Associated Press)
• Credit rating agencies issue new warnings about the financial stress on oil patch companies. (EnergyWire)
Anti-fracking activists say they’re being shut out of a Colorado hearing on a temporary drilling ban because of inconvenient scheduling. (Colorado Independent)

PIPELINES:
• Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren speaks in opposition to a proposed natural gas pipeline. (Greenfield Recorder)
• FERC refuses to reconsider its approval of a natural gas pipeline in New York. (RTO Insider)
• Operators of a Pennsylvania maple syrup operation are still fighting a planned pipeline that will take out several trees on their property. (WNEP)

NATURAL GAS: Developers withdraw plans to build a $1 billion natural gas-fired power plant in New Jersey. (NJ Spotlight)

POLICY:
• New York lawmakers begin working to implement the state’s sweeping clean energy vision. (City & State)
• The U.S. Senate looks to vote on a sweeping, bipartisan energy plan by the end of the week. (E&E Daily)

ELECTRIC CARS: Two California utilities plan to install 5,000 electric vehicle chargers. (Greentech Media)

MEDIA: InsideClimate News is a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting for its series on Exxon’s climate misinformation.

COMMENTARY:
• The environment and climate change weren’t always politicized. How did it get this way? (The Conversation)
• Paul Krugman says “we’re now achingly close to achieving a renewable-energy revolution.” (New York Times)
• The Supreme Court’s decision on demand response may have an unintended consequence. (Greentech Media)

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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