CLIMATE:
• A new report says pledges by wealthy nations to cut emissions won’t be enough to prevent catastrophic climate change. (Bloomberg)
• A report finds compensation for U.S. fossil fuel executives is more than double what the country has pledged to address climate change abroad. (Huffington Post)
POLLUTION: Harvard researchers quantify the public health benefits of clean energy like wind and solar. (Climate Central)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Michigan announces it will develop a statewide compliance strategy, though officials are “disappointed” that more than half of the state’s renewable generation won’t get credit. (Midwest Energy News)
• The White House calls a legal challenge to the plan “premature” and “unwarranted.” (Bloomberg)
SOLAR:
• Opponents and proponents of a proposed Florida solar ballot measure argue their case before the state Supreme Court. (Palm Beach Post)
• Berkeshire Hathaway shareholders sign a petition urging a Nevada utility owned by the company to back down on challenges to net metering. (Las Vegas Sun)
• The city of San Diego fights a utility’s plan to add fees for solar customers. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• An IRS ruling could provide a boost to community solar. (Associated Press)
WIND: Wind energy production fell last year even as capacity expanded, because of a weather shift. (Bloomberg)
OIL & GAS:
• In “a landmark case for Texas,” an explosion that injured a ranch family could put increased pressure on state regulators. (Texas Tribune)
• A court ruling revives a challenge to federal drilling leases that would require an examination of climate impacts. (Associated Press)
• Experimental drilling techniques could keep natural gas prices low “for a very long time, maybe 20 years.” (Wall Street Journal)
• The U.S. EIA is predicting natural gas production across major shale regions will decrease for the first time next month. (Utility Dive)
• Owners of an Albany, New York oil terminal could face a lawsuit for failing to disclose increased shipments of volatile Bakken crude. (Albany Times Union)
• Gasoline prices would stay the same or drop while profit margins for refiners would get tightened if the export ban is lifted, the EIA reports. (Greenwire)
COAL:
• A study finds coal executives are getting more compensation even as their companies collapse. (Mother Jones)
• The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration is expected to publish a rule today that will call for coal mine shuttle cars, ram cars and scoops to have automated systems. (The Hill)
• Indiana Gov. Mike Pence vows to fight against proposed rules to protect water resources from mining pollution. (Indianapolis Star)
POLITICS: A University of Kansas researcher testified against state renewable standards in 2014 shortly after the institute he leads received $40,000 from the Koch brothers. (Topeka Capital Journal)
COMMENTARY: Why the Clean Power Plan won’t mean the death of coal. (High Country News)