CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Opponents are expected to challenge the plan via bureaucratic, legislative and legal challenges in both federal and state courts. (The Hill)
• Removal of “Building Block 4” efficiency estimates appears to be designed to preempt court challenges. (Greenwire)
• Why toughening carbon rules may have put them on stronger legal footing. (InsideClimate News)
• The Clean Power Plan may revive cap-and-trade discussions. (Reuters)
• Sixteen states will have tougher emissions targets under the final rule. (Associated Press)
• Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and Puerto Rico will be exempted from the rules for the time being, as will Vermont. (Fairbanks News-Miner, Burlington Free Press)
• A small Minnesota nonprofit that acts as a third party to validate energy generation is poised to play a larger role as states devise compliance plans. (Midwest Energy News)
CLIMATE: A report warns that methane levels in the atmosphere may be underestimated. (New York Times)
COAL:
• The nation’s second-largest coal company files for bankruptcy. (Bloomberg)
• President Obama pledged to address coal’s legacy liabilities and provide new economic opportunities in Appalachia and elsewhere. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
SOLAR:
• A solar company says a Nevada utility’s proposed changes are “the most extreme anti-solar proposal anywhere in the country.” (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• A California utility urges state regulators to reform the way customers are compensated for solar power. (San Jose Mercury News)
UTILITIES: A survey of utility executives finds most are planning for more distributed generation while acknowledging the business challenge it poses. (Kansas City Star)
NUCLEAR: The Clean Power Plan could revive prospects for new nuclear plants. (Bloomberg)
GRID: Developers of a plan to unite the three U.S. power grids say a partner’s exit won’t jeopardize the project. (RTO Insider)
FRACKING: Colorado fracking opponents confront state regulators, issuing a declaration rejecting their authority. (Denver Post)
OIL:
• Oil prices rise again after falling to a six-month low. (Reuters)
• Support in Congress for lifting the nation’s decades-long ban on the export of crude oil “is picking up steam,” according to a Louisiana congressman. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
COMMENTARY:
• Bill Gates explains why he’s spending $1 billion on clean energy research. (Quartz)
• “There is nothing radical” about the Clean Power Plan, and it’s only one part of a broader effort to fight climate change. (New York Times, Vox)
• What comes next after the Clean Power Plan? (ClimateProgress)