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STATE OF THE UNION:
• President Obama pledges to revamp the way the federal government manages fossil fuel development on public lands. (InsideClimate News)
• The president calls for investing in communities that have been hurt by the decline in fossil fuels. (Washington Post)
• Obama calls out climate deniers, saying if they want to debate climate science, “You’ll be pretty lonely.” (Grist)

SOLAR: For the first time, solar now outpaces wind and hydro as the leading renewable energy source in California. (Utility Dive)

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STORAGE: New Jersey regulators vote to double the amount of funding for energy storage projects as the amount of renewables continue to increase statewide. (New Jersey Spotlight)

MICROGRIDS: An Oregon utility will receive nearly $300,000 from state and federal agencies to test microgrids’ resiliency. (Utility Dive)

NATURAL GAS: Experts say flaring of the world’s natural gas supply has remained constant at around 3.5 percent for several years. (Nature Magazine)

NUCLEAR:
• A House committee approves a bipartisan bill to fund research currently conducted by the private sector. (The Hill)
• The chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it is keeping a close watch on whether plant safety is being compromised by cost-cutting. (Platts)

COAL:
• The Obama administration is set to refund as much as $14 million in royalties to a coal company run by billionaire investor William Koch that was too costly to operate on federal lands. (Reuters)
• The U.S. House approves a bill to block President Obama’s new stream-protection rules. (Associated Press)
• While U.S. coal generation will still exceed gas in 2015, low natural gas prices have sped up the transition, according to new EIA data. (Utility Dive)
• Arch Coal has broad lender support for a plan to cut $4.5 billion in debt as part of its bankruptcy proceeding. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

TRANSMISSION:
• Officials say a new project to move clean energy from Nevada will be a “game changer.” (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• Developers a transmission line to move wind energy from Iowa eastward are dealt another setback by state regulators. (Midwest Energy News)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: Clean-energy advocates are criticizing Pennsylvania lawmakers’ budget plan they say halts progress on the state’s Clean Power Plan strategy. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)

OIL & GAS:
• A new panel will look at the safety of using oilfield wastewater to irrigate crops. (Associated Press)
• The industry’s financial hardship is likely to deepen, a new study predicts. (The Wall Street Journal)
• The industry’s downturn may be worse than the decline in the mid-1980s. (The Advocate)
• The slump in oil prices is leading to tens of thousands of job losses in the U.S. from major companies to suppliers and contractors. (Associated Press)

RATES:
• In additional filings with Ohio regulators over two utility income-guarantee requests, grid operator PJM says the plans are “inconsistent” with the competitive electric market, while Dynegy says it can offer a better deal for ratepayers. (Midwest Energy News)
• Advocates are criticizing plans by a Minnesota utility to lower rates for struggling industrial customers while raising them for residents. (Midwest Energy News)

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VW SCANDAL: U.S. EPA and California officials reject the automaker’s recall plans for vehicles that cheated on emissions testing, calling them incomplete. (National Public Radio)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Once one of the top markets for EV ownership, registrations in Georgia are off by 90 percent since a $5,000 tax credit was rescinded July 1. (GPB News)
• Some large automakers are still hoping hydrogen-powered cars offer a promising future. (Michigan Radio)