EMISSIONS DROP: In advance of the Clean Power Plan taking effect, 42 states are already significantly reducing carbon emissions from power plants as they move toward using less coal to produce electricity. (Climate Central)
CRUDE EXPORTS:
• The oil industry is pushing Congress to lift the ban on U.S. crude oil exports to help producers cope with the implications of the new nuclear deal with Iran. (The Hill)
• A group of Republican senators is asking the nation’s top intelligence official to study the geopolitical impact of ending the ban on crude oil exports, which they say would help American allies. (The Hill)
• Crude oil prices fell early Tuesday amid the announcement of a nuclear deal with Iran and six world powers. (The Hill)
WIND:
• Washington, DC’s mayor announced Tuesday a 20-year deal to supply 35 percent of the city’s electricity with wind power—the largest wind purchase power agreement ever entered into by an American city. (DC.gov)
• Amazon’s new wind farm could turn North Carolina into a regional showcase for utility-scale clean energy, but it won’t make a single watt of electricity for North Carolina businesses and households. (The News & Observer)
NATURAL GAS: Most of the proposed U.S. liquefied natural gas export projects won’t get built amid stiffening competition from foreign competitors who will flood the market as demand begins to slow, a new study finds. (FuelFix)
COAL: Environmental groups are petitioning Congress to ban further mountaintop removal coal mining until the federal government completes a thorough health evaluation. (The Huffington Post)
JOBS: Delaware’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions have created 953 jobs and generated $107.3 million in economic activity over a three-year period, according to a new report. (The News Journal)
RENEWABLES POLICY: A federal appeals court on Monday rejected a free-market litigation group’s claim that Colorado’s renewable energy standard violates the U.S. Constitution. (The Denver Post)
DRILLING MORATORIUM: A federal judge is mulling whether to impose a moratorium on oil drilling permits in northwestern New Mexico until there is a more thorough environmental impact study. (Associated Press)
PIPELINE: Michigan officials said Tuesday that the state would not ask for an oil pipeline along the floor of the Great Lakes to be shut down and suggested it may have a limited lifespan anyway. (Midwest Energy News)
CARBON CAPTURE: Three start-ups are making strides with technology that can directly remove carbon dioxide from the air, but no one will pay them do to it. (The Guardian)
PRESIDENTIAL RACE: Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders challenged his rival Hillary Clinton Tuesday to take a stand against the Keystone XL pipeline. (The Hill)