POLLUTION: Maryland is suing the EPA for failing to adhere to the Clean Air Act by allowing 36 power plants in five states to emit smog-causing nitrogen oxides, which has stopped the state from meeting ozone reduction goals. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
COAL: Federal mine safety regulators have cited one of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s family coal companies with safety violations, saying they were the main cause of a worker’s death. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
OIL & GAS:
• Los Angeles County sues state regulators and a local utility for prematurely reopening the Aliso Canyon natural gas facility, where the largest methane leak in U.S. history occurred in 2015. (Los Angeles Times)
• Exxon’s reasons for suing the government over a $2 million fine for violating sanctions against Russia are largely to defend the company’s reputation and thwart future sanctions that could interfere with profits. (New York Times)
PIPELINES:
• FERC’s final environmental review of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline says the project’s environmental impact could be reduced to “less-than-significant” levels if Dominion Energy uses proper mitigation techniques. (Associated Press)
• An area that was cherished by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s father is a key battleground in the fight over the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, and opponents see the governor as their last “line of defense.” (Southeast Energy News)
• Opponents of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline say a federal environmental review “grossly undercounts climate pollution.” (ThinkProgress)
• North Dakota regulators will begin public hearings on a planned 180-mile oil pipeline through the state, the largest proposal since the Dakota Access pipeline. (Bismarck Tribune)
SOLAR:
• A new coalition is vowing to fight proposed tariffs on imported solar panels after bankrupt solar manufacturer Suniva asked the Trump administration to start imposing penalties on imported solar technology. (The Hill)
• A clean energy financing program in Michigan reaches 1 megawatt of solar development and aims for $1 billion in clean energy projects over the next five to seven years. (Midwest Energy News)
• The size of a 399 megawatt solar project in California will be cut by two-thirds after environmental groups sued over the potential impact to endangered wildlife. (Associated Press)
STORAGE: The New York legislature approved a bill requiring state regulators to set an energy storage target last month, but some say electricity market reforms are a smarter way to make utilities add more storage. (Greentech Media)
WIND:
• Officials in Ocean City, Maryland, are fighting a $1.4 billion plan to build an offshore wind farm in the area, saying the 187 turbines will interrupt ocean views. (Baltimore Sun)
• Wind developer Avangrid is touting a successful Amazon wind project in North Carolina, while a bill that would suspend permits for new wind farms awaits the governor’s signature. (Triangle Business Journal)
GEOTHERMAL:
• A Department of Energy lab will partner with seven other labs and six universities on a federally funded, $9 million project to develop more efficient geothermal energy systems. (Utility Dive)
• A newly discovered toad in Nevada is under threat from a proposed geothermal energy project. (Associated Press)
BIOFUEL: A Senate committee will delay voting on legislation that would allow higher ethanol concentrations in some gasoline because it “does not have the support necessary to pass the committee.” (The Hill)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: California lawmakers are looking to extend low-emission vehicle subsidies by another seven years, but it’s unclear where the necessary $3 billion will come from. (Los Angeles Times)
TRANSPORTATION: Los Angeles County’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority wants to eliminate emissions from its bus fleet by 2030. (Los Angeles Times)
CLIMATE: A weekly energy podcast discusses why California extending its cap-and-trade program is a big deal. (Greentech Media)
POLITICS: Sources say President Trump will nominate a prominent lobbyist for coal giant Murray Energy to serve as the EPA’s deputy administrator. (Washington Post)
NUCLEAR: The Trump administration may be underestimating the political and financial hurdles to reviving Nevada’s Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. (Utility Dive)
COMMENTARY:
• California’s climate change leadership should serve as a model for improving upon the Northeast’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, says the New York Times editorial board.
• Texas regulators should do more to punish air polluters, says the editorial board of the San Antonio Express-News.