ECONOMICS: Scientists and economists have joined forces to launch a $150 billion global research initiative to make clean energy cheaper than coal within 10 years. (Bloomberg)
ECONOMY: Cheaper crude oil and lower fuel prices at the pump have failed to lift the U.S. economy, according to the most recent federal government statistics. (EnergyWire)
UTILITIES: Berkshire Hathaway Energy is pushing legislation through both chambers of Congress that would scrap federal requirements for utilities to buy power from small renewable and cogeneration providers. (E&E Daily)
ARCTIC DRILLING: A dozen environmental groups announced Monday they will renew a challenge in federal court to the leasing of areas off Alaska where Shell hopes to drill exploratory wells this summer. (Guardian)
NUCLEAR:
• The nuclear power industry is rushing against the clock to convince Congress to authorize the Export-Import Bank before it expires on June 30. (The Hill)
• An underground nuclear waste dump proposed for less than a mile from Lake Huron in Canada has prompted heavy fallout from Michigan politicians. (EnergyWire)
FUSION: Under new leadership, the long hunt for emission-free fusion energy continues, pooling know-how and hardware from 35 countries to harness the reaction that powers the sun. (ClimateWire)
COAL: Industry groups have long blamed President Obama for a “war on coal,” but almost all federal coal regulations were promulgated before or during the administration of George W. Bush. (InsideClimate News)
SOLAR:
• Federal officials have approved three solar farms in Nevada under a streamlined permitting program for solar projects on federal land. (The Hill)
• Colorado’s largest rural electric cooperative, which has seen a massive surge this year in solar power systems installed by homeowners, is poised for battle over net metering. (Denver Business Journal)
• Solar Impulse 2 made an unscheduled landing late Monday in Japan to wait out bad weather on what was to have been a record six-day flight from Nanjing, China, to Hawaii. (Associated Press)
WIND: With support from Harvard and SunEdison, Vortex Bladeless hopes to raise more venture capital for it new bladeless wind turbine that promises to be more efficient, less visually intrusive and safer for birds. (Guardian)
FRACKING:
• The potential for sinkholes could pose hazards along an interstate natural gas pipeline that crosses northwest Ohio, according to a report submitted to federal regulators. (Midwest Energy News)
• Police arrested three protesters as fracking resumed in Denton, Texas, Monday, after the city voted to ban oil and gas drilling within its limits and state lawmakers nullified the local ordinance by putting such decisions under state authority. (FuelFix)
• A farmer and four politicians from Australia will tour the U.S. to document the effects of fracking on farming communities. (ABC News Australia)
OFF THE GRID: To become energy independent, a Wisconsin hospital spent about $40 million on two wind farms, a dairy-waste digester and smart energy systems. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
PRESIDENTIAL RACE: Presumed presidential candidate Jeb Bush spoke Monday to coal industry CEOs at a closed-door conference in Virginia, drawing criticism from environmentalists. (The Washington Post)