NOTE TO READERS: U.S. Energy News will not be publishing on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We will return on Tuesday, January 17.
WIND: New York’s governor announces plans for up to 2,400 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2030, including a 90 megawatt project already under development. (Reuters)
ALSO:
• Ten North Carolina legislators send a letter asking Donald Trump’s incoming administration to shut down a nearly completed wind farm, alleging the “political correctness” prevented the Pentagon from opposing the project. (Associated Press)
• MidAmerican Energy announces the sites of two new wind farms in Iowa. (Associated Press)
***SPONSORED LINK: Connect with more than 650 of the region’s best and brightest at MEEA’s 2017 Midwest Energy Solutions Conference, February 22-24 in Chicago, featuring unparalleled networking, insightful panels and more. Register today!***
SOLAR:
• With residential solar growth slowing and customers moving away from third party financing, utilities are seeing new investment opportunities in community solar projects and utility scale solar. (Utility Dive)
• A Nevada utility asks regulators to reconsider a decision to restore more favorable net metering rates to future rooftop solar customers in the northern part of the state, saying the move took energy savings from many of its Sierra Pacific customers. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• The solar industry on Hawaii’s Big Island drops by 56 percent in 2016, with only 1,256 permits issued. (Pacific Business News)
• Hawaii’s Public Utilities Commission could decide this month on a plan to allow residents and businesses with no access to rooftop solar to buy energy from community-based solar farms. (Pacific Business News)
• A major solar initiative could save a North Carolina school district millions of dollars in operating costs. (Southeast Energy News)
BIOFUEL: A government report finds that ethanol made from corn reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent relative to gasoline, compared to an estimate of 21 percent made by the EPA in 2010. (Reuters)
CLIMATE: A new report from the National Academy of Sciences recommends major updates to the federal “social cost of carbon,” which is currently set at $36 per ton of carbon dioxide. (Washington Post)
EMISSIONS: Echoing the Volkswagen scandal, the EPA says Fiat Chrysler installed secret software to allow some of its diesel vehicles to violate emissions standards. (New York Times)
CAP-AND-TRADE: New England’s regional carbon cap-and-trade system has saved hundreds of lives and billions of dollars, according to a new study. (WCAI)
EFFICIENCY: Proponents hope that harsh weather in Chicago will encourage more people to install smart thermostats to reduce their energy use. (Midwest Energy News)
OIL & GAS:
• Supreme Court justices in Washington vote to block plans for a major oil terminal on the coast, citing a 1989 state law designed to protect marine life. (Seattle Times)
• During his Senate confirmation hearing, former Exxon CEO and secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson says tax breaks for fossil fuel companies don’t amount to subsidies, despite Exxon receiving up to $1 billion per year in government giveaways. (Huffington Post)
PIPELINES: Pipeline protests in North Dakota have motivated the state legislature to introduce bills to address future protest concerns. (Associated Press)
NUCLEAR: An association representing power suppliers asks federal regulators to overturn state actions to give nuclear subsidies in New York and Illinois. (POWER)
POLITICS: Many senators are on the fence about whether to support former Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson for secretary of state. (The Hill)
COMMENTARY: The Tillerson hearing saw “something rare in US politics: a substantive back and forth on the subject of climate change.” (Vox)