NUCLEAR: A proposal before New York regulators would require the state to get 15 percent of its electric supply from nuclear by 2020, which would be an economic lifeline for struggling upstate plants. (RTO Insider)
SOLAR:
• California investor-owned utilities are making concerted efforts to roll back rooftop solar incentives. (East Bay Express)
• The Nevada utility at the center of a contentious net metering debate there proposes to grandfather solar customers on previous rates for the next 20 years. (PV Magazine)
• A rural electric co-op in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has backed off a plan to restructure its net metering program that originally infuriated some of its members. (Midwest Energy News)
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CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Nearly 30 states form a coalition appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to place an emergency stay on the federal rules. (Bloomberg)
• Utilities and environmental groups are at odds over how carbon trading should be incorporated into emissions goals. (ClimateWire)
DEMAND RESPONSE:
• The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling this week will put the demand response market on a path of strong growth, yielding up to a $200 million increase in market size by the end of this year. (Greentech Media)
• The U.S. Supreme Court did a “masterful job” explaining how demand response works and why the public should care about it. (Washington Post)
STORAGE: Grid operator MISO is looking at ways to grow its energy storage market, but observers say it has a ways to go to catch up to other grid operators. (Utility Dive)
COAL:
• Robert Murray wants the hearing date for his lawsuit against the EPA postponed so he can attend the GOP convention. (Huffington Post)
• Pennsylvania receives $2 million from the federal government for re-employment assistance for about 1,100 workers affected by coal industry layoffs in the state. (Pittsburgh Business Times)
CLIMATE:
• Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe says it’s “disingenuous” to say the Paris climate agreement will be effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. (The Hill)
• A Portland, Oregon nonprofit specializing in conservation financing wants to spend $5.5 million to curb climate change. (Portland Business Journal)
EMISSIONS: Hundreds pack a U.S. EPA hearing in Salt Lake City to protest proposed federal rules requiring new pollution controls on Utah’s old coal plants. (Associated Press)
FOSSIL FUELS: Researchers say the changing trends in natural gas and coal consumption in Pennsylvania are affecting water use there. (Phys.org)
OIL AND GAS:
• Local planners in California oppose plans for an oil-by-rail project due to environmental and public health concerns. (Reuters)
• A watchdog groups says Canadian energy regulators are doing a poor job of monitoring pipeline firms. (Reuters)
• Emboldened by the Obama administration’s recent moratorium on new coal mining leases on public land, advocates and scientists hope the policy will expand to include oil and gas leases. (Climate Central)
CONGRESS: The U.S. Senate begins work on a comprehensive, bipartisan energy plan. (WHO-TV)
POLITICS: Pro-ethanol candidates in Iowa may hold less clout with voters than they did in years past. (Grist)
COMMENTARY:
• New Mexico should reject new coal-mining plans that rely on an outdated financing method to cover reclamation costs. (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)
• More states should follow New York state’s lead in crafting bipartisan energy policy that protects public health. (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)
• The federal government’s rejection of a proposed path for the $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline is “great news for our National Forests, our ground water, and the climate.” (Huffington Post)