CLIMATE: New EPA director Scott Pruitt says “it’s a fair question” whether the agency has the “tools” to regulate carbon emissions. (Greenwire)

ALSO:
• How a spat between two North Carolina scientists fueled a climate denial conspiracy theory. (New York Times)
• The CEO of coal giant Murray Energy claims 4,000 scientists told him “global warming is a hoax” and the earth’s surface is cooling. (CNBC)

WIND:
• A North Dakota Republican introduces legislation to halt wind development for two years in an effort to boost the state’s coal plants. (Forum News Service)
• The wind industry has taken off in Texas thanks to its ability to help struggling farmers and create jobs. (The Guardian)

SOLAR:
• A Florida utility announces plans for more than 600 MW of new solar. (SaintPetersBlog)
• Less than one percent of Texas’ energy comes from solar, but a handful of clean energy entrepreneurs in Houston are trying to change that. (Houstonia)
• The city of Lancaster, California, passes a net-zero energy policy that requires new houses to install enough solar to meet all their energy needs. (Greentech Media)
• The solar industry should be wary of two federal policy changes: weakening of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) and increases to the federal interest rate. (Greentech Media)

HYDROGEN VEHICLES: Shell and Toyota are partnering to build seven hydrogen car refueling stations in California, furthering the state’s goal of reaching 100 retail hydrogen stations by 2024. (Bloomberg)

STORAGE: Researchers are racing to develop better batteries that will revolutionize our energy system. (Grist)

REGULATION: President Trump is preparing executive orders that target the Clean Power Plan, water safeguards and a moratorium on federal coal leasing, according to anonymous sources who were briefed on the measures. (Washington Post)

UTILITIES: Illinois regulators approve a plan by the state’s top utility to share anonymous energy usage data with third-party companies and researchers. (Midwest Energy News)

OIL & GAS: Environmental activists fear that regulators may open Pennsylvania’s northeastern tip to drilling and fracking. (Associated Press)

PIPELINES:
• A bill introduced in Montana would ban pipelines from crossing under bodies of water and establish construction requirements for them to cross above ground. (Missoulian)
• Dakota Access Pipeline opponents say they will remain at a protest camp in North Dakota, regardless of flood warnings and a Wednesday evacuation deadline. (Associated Press)

POLLUTION: A bill introduced in New Mexico would allow the state’s Oil Conservation Division to impose penalties on oil and gas companies that pollute water. (NM Political Report)

COAL: Temporary layoffs at a Pennsylvania coal mine stemming from a state environmental board order has created uncertainty for miners. (Washington Examiner)

ADVOCACY:
• Pipeline protesters are moving to block projects around the country, with protest camps emerging in at least four states. (The Intercept)
• Clean energy advocates rally in Nevada to support legislation for solar and other renewables, following the introduction of state bills calling for more clean energy. (Review-Journal)

COMMENTARY: The head of the Maryland Public Policy Institute says the state should not ban fracking because it would permanently handicap the economy. (Baltimore Business Journal)