CLIMATE:
• President Obama praises the United States’ role in brokering the Paris climate accord, which was ratified by at least 55 countries this week, crossing the participation threshold needed for the treaty to take effect. (Washington Post)
• Arnold Schwarzenegger and California governor Jerry Brown celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the state’s landmark cap-and-trade program. (Los Angeles Times)
PIPELINES:
• Federal judges “seemed skeptical” of tribal arguments for extending a work freeze on disputed sections of the Dakota Access pipeline, but aren’t expected to make a ruling for months. (Greenwire, Reuters)
• Supporters say a “dangerous precedent” would be set by revoking an already approved project, while opponents say tribal rights were violated by not seeking their input on the project. (Bismarck Tribune)
OIL & GAS:
• General Electric is helping to develop a helicopter drone that can detect methane leaks at drilling sites three times faster than workers can, saving oil and gas companies money. (Bloomberg)
• New oil discoveries in the U.S. could help keep prices low and encourage companies to increase their reserves for future production, but some experts say demand will never fully rebound. (New York Times)
COAL:
• A former coal executive who is serving a year in prison for conspiring to violate mine safety laws writes a 68-page booklet declaring himself a “political prisoner.” (The Hill)
• Missouri-based Arch Coal emerges from bankruptcy after reaching nearly $5 billion in debt earlier this year. (St. Louis Business Journal)
POLLUTION: Charlotte-based Duke Energy will remove millions of tons of coal ash at dumps in North Carolina and recycle it to make concrete, settling a federal lawsuit that accused the company of contaminating local drinking-water wells. (Associated Press)
SOLAR:
• Why some Las Vegas casinos are betting big on solar. (CityLab)
• Massachusetts officials last week rejected a request by utility National Grid to increase fixed charges on residential and commercial customers and oppose a new charge for community and government solar. (PV Magazine)
WIND: A wind turbine’s blades and other components separated and fell to the ground at a 21-megawatt wind farm in Hawaii, shutting down the project. (Pacific Business News)
ENERGY STORAGE: A handful of companies are starting to offer financing for solar-plus-storage systems at reasonable rates. (Greentech Media)
UTILITIES: Electricity customers in states with more advanced metering infrastructure are only marginally more aware of clean-energy products, according to a recent survey. (Utility Dive)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: The judges who heard arguments on the Clean Power Plan last week are likely to rule in favor of the EPA’s plan, according to energy lawyers. (Utility Dive)
COMMENTARY: How heat pumps could be San Francisco’s secret climate weapon. (Vox)