OIL & GAS: Oklahoma registered a 5.6 magnitude earthquake that was felt from Texas to Illinois, causing state regulators to order oil and gas companies to shut down all their wastewater disposal wells in a 725-square-mile area. (Bloomberg/NPR)
ALSO:
• Water scarcity could impact energy industries like fracking, according to an updated report. (Greentech Media)
• The largest oil producers in Alaska submit a revised annual development plan for how they will market the gas from the Prudhoe Bay oil field, after the state rejected an original plan filed in March. (Alaska Dispatch News)
• Environmentalists are forcefully pushing to end new oil and gas leases on federal lands, but the industry says such a move would devastate the local and national economies. (Albuquerque Journal)
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CLIMATE:
• The U.S. and China formally committed to the Paris climate agreement on Saturday. (New York Times)
• The U.S. joins China and Europe in a pledge to curb carbon dioxide emissions by airlines – a deal which is expected to go into effect from 2021. (Reuters)
PIPELINES: Protesters of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline were bitten by security dogs and pepper-sprayed after construction crews destroyed American Indian cultural sites, according to tribal officials. (Associated Press)
WIND: Critics say a $50,000 item in the Vermont state budget is actually intended to support a legislator’s anti-wind activism. (VTDigger)
COAL:
• A $90 million investment should enable two new coal mines to open in West Virginia and Virginia next year. (Associated Press)
• The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is funding a comprehensive study on the health effects of mountaintop removal coal mining. (Ohio Valley ReSource)
• A bill to protect health-care and pension benefits for retired miners is dividing coal-state Republicans. (Associated Press)
• Community leaders are eager to diversify the economy in eastern Kentucky, where declining coal jobs have caused a steep drop in population. (NPR)
EMISSIONS: Maryland officials are resisting a push to deepen carbon emission cuts as part of a regional agreement to reduce power plant pollution. (Washington Post)
HYDRO: Big hydroelectric suppliers are lobbying to be included in New York’s new clean energy plan that’s promising subsidies for money-losing nuclear plants. (Bloomberg)
SOLAR:
• A new business allows Maryland and Washington, D.C., residents to subscribe to solar power projects and get the amount credited on their electric bill. (Washington Business Journal)
• A Colorado provider of community solar gardens files a formal protest with the state’s Public Utilities Commission, saying a recent settlement leaves community solar providers out in the cold. (Denver Post)
• Solar advocates question new rate structures submitted by Iowa’s two largest electricity providers for customers with solar panels. (Midwest Energy News)
• More than 1,000 bus stop shelters in Texas will soon be upgraded to light up at night using solar panels and LED lights. (San Antonio Business Journal)
UTILITIES:
• Charlotte-based Duke Energy plans to scale back on coal and nearly double its capacity from renewable resources like solar by 2031. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• A startup promises to bring cheap, clean energy to co-ops and towns in New Mexico and Colorado by “using market forces to reconstruct the grid.” (Denver Post)
TECHNOLOGY: A leader in energy storage research explains how batteries can help personalize our energy system. (Midwest Energy News)
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POLICY: Solar and wind industry leaders say a proposed rule to implement competitive bidding to build renewables on federal lands would make costs unpredictable. (Climate Central)
COMMENTARY:
• Alaska needs to take the lead on the state’s LNG gas line project. (Alaska Dispatch News)
• Natural gas pipelines are helping to bring good jobs and cleaner air to Pennsylvania. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Some journalists are still pushing a false narrative about wind and solar jobs. (Greentech Media)
• A new video series is telling the stories of those who are using and supporting solar power in the Southeast. (Southeast Energy News)