CLIMATE: A new study finds U.S. cities are underestimating their greenhouse gas emissions by an average of nearly 20%. (New York Times)

ALSO:
• A Department of Energy study released last week finds the U.S. could reach net-zero emissions by 2050 at a cost of about $1 per day per person. (Utility Dive)
• Democrats are incorporating lessons from 2009’s failed cap-and-trade effort into their current push for more aggressive climate action. (E&E News)
• White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy says the administration is in talks with the utility and automotive sectors about reducing emissions. (Reuters)

TRANSPORTATION:
• The Biden administration seeks to pause litigation on whether California can set its own vehicle emissions standards; and a group representing major automakers including Toyota and Hyundai has withdrawn from the challenge. (The Hill)
• A new report from ACEEE ranks state efforts to electrify transportation, with California and New York topping the list. (news release)

OIL & GAS:
• ExxonMobil, BP and Chevron announce annual losses totalling more than $47 billion, largely because of depressed prices due to the pandemic. (The Hill)
• An analyst says ExxonMobil’s recent announcement of a $3 billion emissions-cutting plan was to placate large investment firms and does not significantly change the company’s trajectory. (Inside Climate News)

PIPELINES:
• A Minnesota appeals court denies two tribes’ request to stop construction on the Line 3 pipeline. (Associated Press)
• U.S. House and Senate lawmakers introduce legislation to revive the Keystone XL pipeline, though it faces unlikely odds in Congress. (E&E News, subscription)
• Public records debunk an emerging conspiracy theory that President Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline to benefit Warren Buffet. (Reuters)

NUCLEAR: Supporters and detractors of continued subsidies for New Jersey’s nuclear plants square off in public hearings before state regulators who will determine if they should be continued. (NJ Spotlight) 

WIND:
• Federal data show that U.S. wind production set new daily and hourly records in September. (news release)
• Residents of a Long Island town sue after officials approve an easement for an underground cable to connect the South Fork offshore wind farm to a substation, and fishing groups say they have reached an impasse in negotiations with the project’s developer. (East Hampton Star, Providence Journal)

SOLAR:
• Demand for a Duke Energy solar rebate program far outstrips its availability, as the slots available in its fourth year filled up in fewer than three minutes. (Energy News Network)
• Advocates push a bill in Iowa to double a cap on state solar tax credits as the waitlist for the program grows longer. (Energy News Network)
A new report says solar generation in 2019 accounted for 4.3% of load in the New England grid, putting the region only behind California and ahead of its eastern counterparts. (PV Magazine)
• Newly-introduced legislation in Wyoming would impose a $1 tax on each megawatt hour of electricity produced from larger solar energy facilities. (Casper Star-Tribune)

COAL: Alliant Energy plans to close Wisconsin’s second-largest coal plant by 2025, which utility officials say will save $250 million in maintenance and upgrade costs. (Wisconsin State Journal)

COMMENTARY:
• An eastern Kentucky newspaper greets President Biden’s action on climate change with hope, but also skepticism that dwindling fossil fuel-related jobs will be replaced by new economic growth. (Appalachian News-Express)
The Los Angeles Times says the Biden administration needs to withdraw the Trump administration’s plan that targeted the state’s deserts for renewable energy development.  

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.