WIND: The Bureau of Land Management approves the first phase of a 1,000-turbine wind project in Wyoming, which is slated to be the country’s largest onshore wind farm. (Associated Press)
SOLAR:
• A county councilman withdraws legislation to regulate solar facilities on rural lands outside Baltimore, Maryland, following ongoing disagreements over size limits for such projects. (Baltimore Sun)
• A bill backed by Missouri’s electric cooperative association could make net metering less available and more costly for solar customers. (Midwest Energy News)
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CLIMATE:
• 2016 was the hottest year in 137 years of record keeping, and the third year in a row to take the top slot. (Climate Central)
• EPA chief nominee Scott Pruitt acknowledges that climate change is real and says the agency “has an obligation” to regulate carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act. (Utility Dive)
• Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders grills Scott Pruitt on his views toward climate science during a Senate confirmation hearing. (Huffington Post)
• Mayors from across the country are promising to act on climate change. (Nexus Media)
EMISSIONS: EPA nominee Scott Pruitt says he will review whether California should be allowed to enforce statewide rules limiting car pollution, which are currently more stringent than federal rules. (Climate Central)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Maryland is taking steps to boost electric vehicle adoption in the state, but utilities may not be ready to accommodate the additional demand of residents charging their cars at home. (Utility Dive)
OIL & GAS: After a major methane leak in 2015, California’s Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility takes steps toward reopening. (Reuters)
PIPELINES:
• A federal judge says the Army Corps of Engineers can begin an environmental review of the Dakota Access Pipeline, despite objections from the project’s developer. (The Hill)
• Environmental advocates say federal regulators are downplaying the climate impacts posed by additional drilling and demand facilitated by new natural gas pipelines. (Southeast Energy News)
FRACKING: A group from Montana files a lawsuit to force energy companies to release more information about the chemicals they use during hydraulic fracturing. (Associated Press)
BIOFUELS:
• EPA chief nominee Scott Pruitt says he would honor the country’s biofuels program, which sets quotas for the use of ethanol and biodiesel in transportation fuels, but remains open to changes. (Reuters)
• The EPA denies a request by oil refiners to scrap certain biofuels requirements from the Renewable Fuel Standard. (Reuters)
UTILITIES: Georgia Power launches an e-commerce website that offers energy-saving products as part of a strategy to boost participation in energy-efficiency programs and make it easier for customers to purchase home upgrades. (Greentech Media)
ADVOCACY: The executive director of the Chicago-based Environmental Law & Policy Center is confident that public opinion, state and local politics and economics are on the side of clean energy heading into the Trump administration. (Midwest Energy News)
POLITICS: Energy secretary nominee Rick Perry, who once called for the elimination of the Energy Department, will testify before a Senate committee today. (New York Times)
COMMENTARY:
• The royalty rate for the federal coal program should be increased to give Americans a better deal. (The Hill)
• If EPA chief nominee Scott Pruitt rolls back air pollution standards, it could lead to thousands of premature deaths. (Quartz)
• University students who are preparing for careers in clean energy ask the Trump administration to support renewable energy. (Greentech Media)