COAL: Major U.S. banks are permanently shifting away from financing coal companies. (New York Times)

ALSO:
• Why Utah’s deal for $53 million for a West Coast coal port left out a 15 percent fee that normally applies. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• A judge rejects a water permit for a proposed Montana coal mine. (Billings Gazette)
• A West Virginia woman discusses the unique challenges for female coal miners. (NPR)

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SOLAR: A Nevada plant that incorporates energy storage make solar power dispatchable, but at a price. (Los Angeles Times)

NATURAL GAS:
• A California company was caught illegally venting natural gas into the air during the Porter Ranch gas leak. (KPCC)
• An activist group promises a “rebellion against FERC” to fight expanding natural gas infrastructure. (SNL Energy)

NUCLEAR:
• Gallup polling finds a majority of Americans oppose nuclear power for the first time since the organization began tracking the issue in 1994. (The Hill)
• New York moves toward subsidizing nuclear plants to meet emissions goals. (EnergyWire)
Time is running out for new nuclear technology to replace retiring reactors. (New York Times)
• A Minnesota utility is projected to spend $487 million by 2020 to maintain reactors at one of its two nuclear plants. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• A Georgia utility has selected a site for a new nuclear plant sometime after 2030, at least one local official is skeptical it will be built. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• 
House Republicans continue to push for the Yucca Mountain waste storage site. (The Hill)

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• A group of more than 125 physicians in Minnesota encourage state legislators to continue working on a Clean Power Plan compliance strategy. (Midwest Energy News)
Even though the rules have been halted by the Supreme Court, wind and solar advocates continue to press their message that reluctant states will miss out on clean energy jobs. (Greenwire)

EPA:
• A 20-state coalition continues its fight to block the EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards as the agency begins to issue a final rule next month. (Greenwire)
• 
West Virginia’s attorney general talks about how his office became a leader in “fighting illegal EPA overreach.” (Coal Valley News)

GRID:
• A Hawaii Air Force base is installing a microgrid that uses electricity generated from trash. (Associated Press)
• Responding to consumer demand, Tesla discontinues one of its Powerwall options. (Greentech Media)

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EFFICIENCY: A small California city expects to save $6 million over 30 years through efficiency and solar upgrades. (Solar Industry)

COMMENTARY:
• Can the U.S. really go without fracking? (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Legislation could give Vermonters more say in the state’s energy future. (Rutland Herald)
• Revival of a state clean energy task force can help put Nevada back on “the right direction.” (Las Vegas Sun)
• Can low-income housing be both efficient and affordable? (Ensia)

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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