CLEAN ENERGY: The Obama administration says a Rhode Island-sized swath of California desert could host 20,000 megawatts of renewable energy – equivalent to the current solar capacity for the entire U.S. (Mother Jones)

WIND: A proposed Massachusetts offshore wind farm would be the world’s largest. (Bloomberg)

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Utilities and regulators discuss how to maintain reliability as carbon regulations prompt changes in the energy mix. (Utility Dive)
• An Ohio utility’s CEO says the Clean Power Plan can help the utility as it moves to diversify its energy mix. (Columbus Business First)

CLIMATE: Shareholders push ExxonMobil to take more responsibility on climate change. (InsideClimate News)

UTILITIES:
• Former FERC chair Jon Wellinghoff warns utilities that investments in natural gas infrastructure could backfire as energy storage becomes more viable. (Bloomberg)
• Regulators discuss how to deal with an expected surge in electricity demand as legalized marijuana growing operations expand. (SNL)

SOLAR:
• A California solar plant is burning enough natural gas to qualify for the state’s cap-and-trade program. (Riverside Press-Enterprise)
• Utilities in Florida have poured millions into their bid to defeat third-party solar sales. (Tampa Bay Times)
• As Nevada regulators prepare to take up net metering, an industry-backed poll finds strong support for existing policies. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• A judge allows a lawsuit challenging an Arizona utility’s solar fees to proceed. (Greentech Media)
• A developer is working on ten utility-scale solar projects in Montana. (Montana Standard)

COAL ASH: Duke Energy has paid $92 million of the fines and restitution stemming from its Dan River coal-ash spill with a remaining $10 million still owed for wetlands mitigation. (Charlotte Business Journal)

COAL:
• Despite power plant retirements, U.S. demand for coal is expected to be as strong in 2016 as it was this year. (Bloomberg)
• Efforts to improve water quality in an Ohio stream polluted by drainage from coal mines may be having unintended consequences, according to new research. (Midwest Energy News)
• Clergy members discuss a “spiritual crisis” as coal’s decline disrupts the identities of Appalachian communities. (National Catholic Reporter)

OIL AND GAS: “We’ve got an earthquake issue”: An Oklahoma regulatory spokesman says the state now experiences more earthquakes than anywhere else on earth. (Enid News)

WASTE TO ENERGY: A Missouri anaerobic digester is expected to recover 2.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas each year from manure produced by Smithfield Foods pork production. (Fox2 St. Louis)

TRANSPORTATION: Could electric bikes transform urban transportation in ways the Segway didn’t? (Washington Post)

COMMENTARY: Why oil and gas companies are pushing for action on climate change. (Reuters)

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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