CLIMATE: The Obama administration is set to propose a $1.65 billion, 10-year fund for climate infrastructure as part of its budget proposal for next fiscal year. (ClimateWire)
UTILITIES: A coalition of business, environmental and consumer groups oppose a utility-backed sustainable energy bill in Utah, saying it would limit public oversight and increase costs for ratepayers. (Deseret News)
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SOLAR:
• Solar advocates want more urgency from Massachusetts lawmakers on lifting the state’s net metering cap. (North Andover Eagle Tribune)
• A New England college plans to get 100 percent of its electricity from solar panels. (Christian Science Monitor)
• A California utility is launching a community solar program. (Greentech Media)
• A Florida home builder says it’s including rooftop solar systems on all new homes this year. (News 13)
GRID:
• A solar industry report says an updated grid could save Californians $1.4 billion a year. (Los Angeles Times)
• Some small cities are turning to microgrids as a defense against power outages. (Associated Press)
• A pilot program will offer time-of-use pricing to customers of a Pennsylvania utility. (Pittsburgh Tribune)
OIL AND GAS:
• Industry officials and Republican legislators say President Obama’s proposed tax on oil to pay for clean transportation infrastructure will unfairly hit consumers. (EnergyWire)
• Some economists say levying the tax on oil would require polluters to pay more of the total cost of greenhouse gas emissions. (Climate Central)
• Decisions by two California communities could make it more difficult for oil trains to operate in the state. (KQED)
COAL:
• The head of Kentucky’s coal trade group says it’s time to move beyond “war on coal” rhetoric. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
• A Washington state utility says the cost to close and clean up the two oldest units at a Montana coal plant could approach $200 million. (Associated Press)
COAL ASH: Coal ash cleanup in the Southeast could cost upwards of $10 billion. (Associated Press)
NUCLEAR: New York officials launch an investigation after a radioactive leak is found at the Indian Point nuclear plant. (Reuters)
HYDRO: A Massachusetts proposal could boost hydropower in the Northeast. (Associated Press)
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: An NAACP leader explains what moved her to fight climate change. (Grist)
COMMENTARY:
• Why storage is a bigger threat to utilities than solar alone. (Vox)
• “The future isn’t what it used to be for the electricity business.” (Greentech Media)