POWER PLANTS:
• Energy Secretary Rick Perry says he’s “thrown a lot of jello at the wall” looking for ways to keep coal and nuclear power plants from closing. (Houston Chronicle)
• Without federal help, local governments are also attempting to save coal plants with different results around the country. (Ars Technica)
RENEWABLES: Midwest states are among the world leaders for the percentage of electricity that comes from wind and solar power. (Axios)
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SOLAR:
• Corporations locking into long-term solar contracts face financial risk if prices continue to decline with the growth of the industry. (PV magazine)
• Advocates say Connecticut’s solar industry faces an “existential crisis” if lawmakers don’t reverse a decision to eliminate net metering. (Hartford Courant)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• The boom of e-commerce and the ensuing surge of truck traffic pollution in southern California has spurred calls for the electrification of trucks servicing giant distribution centers. (Energy News Network)
• A North Carolina bill would allow electric vehicle charging stations to resell kilowatt-hours purchased from a utility. (Energy News Network)
OIL & GAS:
• In a vote along party lines, the Colorado Senate gave final approval to legislation seeking to overhaul oil and gas regulation in the state. (Denver Post)
• Environmental groups sue the federal government over its plan to sell leases this month for offshore oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. (Reuters)
PIPELINES:
• A Republican FERC commissioner says “time is money” for energy projects as several high-profile pipelines face legal and regulatory delays. (E&E News)
• Opponents of a proposed Pennsylvania natural gas pipeline say the project “evokes implications of class warfare.” (Waynesboro Record Herald)
STORAGE:
• A proposed $800 million hydropower storage project in southern Oregon has some local community members worried about its potential impact on property values and tribal resources. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• The U.S. Forest Service shuts down plans to build a pumped storage hydroelectric project on federal land in West Virginia. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
GRID:
• New York released its implementation plan to reach 3 GW of energy storage by 2030. (Utility Dive)
• Critics say an Indiana bill gives utilities a “blank check” for grid modernization projects. (Indianapolis Star)
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EMISSIONS: Fiat Chrysler is voluntarily recalling nearly 900,000 vehicles because they don’t meet U.S. emission standards. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY:
• We accept radiation in medicine, and we should accept nuclear power as part of our climate solution, writes a former International Atomic Energy Agency director. (Time)
• Purchasing local solar power is a win-win for cities, writes the city of Philadelphia’s energy manager. (GreenBiz)