RENEWABLES: Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz says a transition to clean energy “is becoming inevitable.” (Forbes)

ALSO:
• Environmental groups team with the utility industry to help connect major companies with clean energy resources. (Utility Dive)
• The EIA projects U.S. renewable energy capacity will double by 2040. (Houston Chronicle)
• Montana regulators debate how much utilities should pay for clean energy. (Montana Public Radio)
• Federal officials say the rise of distributed energy requires rethinking how the grid is structured. (EnergyWire)

NUCLEAR:
• Exelon officials detail plans to close two Illinois nuclear plants in 2017 and 2018, but note that “the decision can be reversed.” (Chicago Tribune)
• A South Carolina utility requests an $852 million increase in the cost of two reactors under construction, raising the current estimate to about $14 billion. (Huntington News Service)

CLIMATE:
• The Congressional Budget Office warns lawmakers about the financial risks of climate change. (Politico)
• Environmental groups reject a Texas congressman’s request for documents related to investigations into Exxon Mobil’s climate change disclosures. (Washington Post)
• Congress considers bills that would significantly cut federal funding for climate change research. (ClimateWire)

POLITICS: A liberal group says campaign contributions from fossil fuel industries create a conflict of interest for Ohio’s attorney general. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

OIL AND GAS:
• A judge recommends a $24 million fine against a California utility for oversights leading to a 2014 natural gas explosion. (San Francisco Business Times)
• Texas oil jobs are expected to continue declining despite a turnaround in prices. (Houston Chronicle)
• Voters in an oil-rich California county will decide on a proposed fracking ban in November. (San Jose Mercury News) 

COAL:
• Colorado’s largest-producing coal mine is cutting a quarter of its workforce. (Denver Post)
• Peabody Energy is seeking permission to give millions in bonuses to keep key employees from fleeing the company. (SNL Energy)
• Four residents of a small Alabama town are fighting back against a giant landfill operator in Georgia that filed a $30 million defamation suit against it for opposing an ash dump. (Grist)

WIND:
• The Interior Department proposes leasing 81,000 acres off Long Island for offshore wind. (Morning Consult)
• A judge upholds a county’s rejection of a Maryland wind farm. (Associated Press)
• A decision by Vermont regulators helps a dairy farm’s wind project move forward. (Newport Dispatch)

HYDRO: California hydropower production is up slightly as the drought eases. (Climate Central)

UTILITIES: A Pennsylvania utility pilots a time-of-use option for customers. (Utility Dive)

COMMENTARY: Why uniting the western power grid “just makes sense.” (Vox)