CLIMATE: A new study finds global carbon dioxide concentrations are at a level not seen in 3 million years. (USA Today)
POLICY: Dozens of losses in court have held back the Trump administration’s “energy dominance” agenda. (Roll Call)
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NUCLEAR:
• Leaked draft legislation shows Ohio lawmakers will seek to establish a “clean air program,” funded by a utility bill surcharge, that would distribute funds to nuclear plants while shutting out wind and solar. (Energy News Network)
• Environmental groups criticize the second nuclear subsidy bill introduced in Pennsylvania saying it continues to divert resources away from sustainable energy sources. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
• South Carolina utility SCANA quietly stopped its internal investigation into whether company leaders mismanaged the failed VC Summer nuclear project during Dominion Energy’s takeover of the company. (News & Observer)
• Documents show that costs for a new type of reactor under development in Idaho will be 40 percent higher than initially estimated. (Reuters)
WIND:
• Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announces a new program to support the state’s wind industry after President Trump’s false claims about the health impacts of wind turbines. (KCCI)
• Some Iowa companies are concerned about the impacts President Trump’s recent comments on wind turbines could have on the industry. (WHO-TV)
• Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to make a “major economic announcement” at a port that has been identified by the state as a potential offshore wind manufacturing location. (Virginian-Pilot)
SOLAR:
• A survey finds that community solar projects are lowering energy costs, but low-income people have been largely left out. (Yale E360)
• Solar developers prevail in a lawsuit against a Montana utility and state regulators, with a judge finding both entities set unfair terms that made solar projects uneconomical. (Billings Gazette)
• Siting of large ground-mounted solar arrays has stressed relationships and divided communities throughout Rhode Island. (ecoRI)
GRID: The Southwest Power Pool has taken a formal step toward expanding its energy market to the western U.S. (RTO Insider)
STORAGE:
• A bill in the U.S. House would make energy storage resources eligible for federal tax credits. (Greentech Media)
• A new report highlights Massachusetts’ “clean peak” policy as a way for states to expand energy storage. (Utility Dive)
UTILITIES: California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticizes PG&E’s new CEO and board picks, saying they lean too heavily toward “Wall Street interests” and not safety. (Greentech Media)
OIL AND GAS:
• Despite a landmark shift to clean energy in New Mexico, the oil and gas industry emerged largely unscathed from a recent legislative session. (New Mexico Political Report)
• Prices for natural gas in the Permian Basin have fallen so low that some producers are having to pay companies to take it away. (The Oklahoman)
• The kitchen stove will be a key battleground as California seeks to transition away from natural gas. (Los Angeles Times)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A suburban Minnesota police department’s April Fools prank highlights the cultural obstacles cities face as they seek to adopt electric vehicles. (Energy News Network)
COMMENTARY:
• A Colorado environmental advocate says the federal EPA should follow his state’s lead in establishing tougher rules for the oil and gas industry. (The Hill)
• A bill introduced in North Carolina is disguised as a military protection act, but it is an unnecessary ban on wind energy, says a former renewable energy council president. (WRAL)