CLIMATE: The probe into whether Exxon Mobil and other fossil fuel companies have misled investors and the public on climate change expands to include several more states. (Inside Climate News)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• The EPA files its first legal brief in defense of the Clean Power Plan, calling greenhouse gases a “monumental threat to Americans’ health and welfare.” (Utility Dive)
• Clean energy advocates begin a public campaign to influence the outcome of a federal court decision ahead of a major climate change case. (New York Times)
• Colorado’s governor says “we don’t care what the Supreme Court says” on the Clean Power Plan, as state lawmakers spar over funding for compliance plans. (Colorado Public Radio / Energy Policy Center, Associated Press)
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FRACKING:
• A former EPA researcher currently with Stanford University releases a study linking fracking to water contamination in Wyoming. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• A Canadian study finds fracking itself – not just wastewater disposal – can cause earthquakes. (Toronto Globe and Mail)
COAL:
• A once-promising carbon capture and sequestration project in Canada is now in a disastrous financial situation and has failed to meet emission-reduction goals. (New York Times)
• A Chinese company pitches a “hypothetical” technology it says could cut emissions at a Montana coal plant by 20 percent. (Billings Gazette)
• The Interior Department proposes a 50 percent increase in royalty rates for some producers on public lands. (SNL Energy)
WIND: The Cape Wind project off the Massachusetts coast is dealt another setback after state regulators reject a permit extension for two power lines. (Boston Globe)
SOLAR:
• A Nevada solar thermal plant that uses molten salt to store energy is running at full capacity. (Greenwire)
• Solar legislation in Maine advances out of committee but appears unlikely to win support from the full legislature. (Portland Press Herald)
• While Iowa’s two largest utilities file plans for more community solar and a storage project, advocates are concerned they have presented “road maps to move away from net metering in Iowa.” (Midwest Energy News)
• Solar arrays provide a new cash crop for struggling North Carolina farmers. (Bloomberg)
• SunEdison’s stock plunges amid bankruptcy concerns. (Los Angeles Times)
OIL AND GAS:
• In response to the Aliso Canyon leak, Los Angeles County will set up a “strike team” to inspect the safety of oil and gas wells. (Los Angeles Times)
• A Texas lawsuit alleging health impacts from drilling operations will go to the state Supreme Court. (Dallas Business Journal)
• Industry experts say federal regulators’ deference to more natural gas pipelines will result in overbuilding. (SNL Energy)
UTILITIES:
• Ohio regulators are scheduled to vote on Thursday on income-guarantee requests from two utilities. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• A Montana utility is ordered to refund more than $8 million to customers for power purchases made during a 2013 coal plant outage. (Billings Gazette)
NUCLEAR: The Energy Department opens a public process on finding solutions for nuclear waste being stored at operating and defunct reactors around the country. (Midwest Energy News)
COMMENTARY: Why new transmission will be key to unleashing the full potential of renewable energy. (Vox)