OIL AND GAS:
• Oil-producing states face major costs for cleaning up newly abandoned wells amid the industry downturn. (Associated Press)
• Prosecutors say a California utility ignored pipeline safety regulations and tried to mislead federal officials investigating a deadly 2010 gas pipeline explosion. (Associated Press)
CLIMATE:
• A Republican-led congressional committee claims it has oversight over states’ plans to investigate Exxon Mobil and its climate change activities. (Reuters)
• A proposed bill in Congress would create a climate change curriculum. (The Hill)
SOLAR: North Carolina lawmakers sit on bill aimed at resolving a dispute over third-party financing of projects. (Southeast Energy News)
WIND:
• Commercial fishermen raise concerns over a proposed offshore wind project in New York. (Associated Press)
• The coal industry is struggling in Wyoming, “but wind power is our bright spot on the horizon.” (New York Times)
REGULATION: The Texas Supreme Court rejects an energy company’s request for a sales tax refund, potentially saving the state billions of dollars from similar rebates. (Associated Press)
NUCLEAR:
• Following Exelon’s threat to close a nuclear plant in New York, the chairman of the state Senate’s energy committee calls on state regulators to implement a nuclear subsidy. (RTO Insider)
• The U.S. Department of Energy is planning to scale up the capacity generated from advanced nuclear reactors by 2050. (Forbes)
• Climate change is altering how many stakeholders view nuclear energy as the Watts Bar 2 reactor in Tennessee adds low-carbon power to the grid. (Washington Post)
• A Utah power cooperative outlines plans for new nuclear generation as coal is retired. (Deseret News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A new report says a proliferation of electric vehicles would actually be good for the grid. (Washington Post)
GRID: California’s grid will be put to the test during a heat wave this week. (Reuters)
POLITICS:
• Pipeline development will likely be a “lightning rod” issue during the presidential election. (E&E Daily)
• A contentious fight over fracking policy is shaping up among Democrats. (The Hill)
HYDRO: An engineer looks to develop a 1.9-megawatt hydroelectric station at an Oregon dam, which officials say could complicate its irrigating functions. (East Oregonian)
COAL: A federal judge in West Virginia rules a utility lobbyist and former EPA official can testify in a miner’s suit against the agency. (The Hill)
OIL BY RAIL:
• Twenty-one protesters were arrested in Washington for blocking freight trains in response to an oil spill in Oregon earlier this month. (Reuters)
• A federal spending bill would increase funding for rail safety along crude oil routes. (LaCrosse Tribune)
EFFICIENCY:
• A dynamic display system at a Chicago office building that makes it easier to monitor energy use is helping to achieve efficiency goals. (Midwest Energy News)
• A father and son partner to tackle energy waste in video game systems. (EnergyWire)
FRACKING: States continue to struggle with managing the growing waste stream produced from fracking. (Grist)
COMMENTARY:
• Pennsylvania lawmakers should stop fighting clean energy proposals. (Scranton Times-Tribune)
• Montana regulators were correct in ruling that a utility’s shareholders had to pay for power purchased while a coal plant was out of service. (Billings Gazette)