RENEWABLE ENERGY: The Northeast is well-positioned to adapt to a renewable energy future due to policies and reforms that have already been instituted, according to a new report. (NJ Spotlight)

POLICY:
• A Nevada ballot initiative that proposes to create “an open, well-regulated electricity market” would create nearly 38,000 clean energy jobs, according to a recent analysis. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• A Wisconsin city is introducing a climate change referendum that asks residents whether the local government should endorse a federal carbon fee and dividend program. (WKOW)

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CLEAN POWER PLAN: A regional trading system using a carbon price is the most affordable way to adhere to the Clean Power Plan, according to one industry executive. (E&E Publishing)

NUCLEAR: A Nebraska utility will have to pay $5 million to terminate its operating contract for a nuclear plant it’s shutting down. (Omaha World-Herald) 

SOLAR:
• A long-awaited preliminary decision on the value of solar in Arizona isn’t a victory for utilities or solar advocates. (Utility Dive)
• The Arkansas Public Service Commission is reviewing rules for net metering in a state that has been slow to adopt residential solar. (Arkansas Business)
• Houston-based Reliant Energy will let Texas customers pay for solar electricity by enabling the company to procure the rights to solar power through renewable energy credits. (FuelFix)
• Duke Energy Carolinas will award contracts for 750,000 megawatt-hours worth of renewable electricity, nearly doubling its green energy capacity. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Hawaii’s largest solar farm is due for completion by the end of the year. (Pacific Business News)
• An $8 billion rail transit project in Honolulu could win the support of one of Hawaii’s top renewable energy entrepreneurs, but only if it runs on solar energy. (Pacific Business News)
• A new Arizona political group plans to spend $1 million to fight solar industry efforts to elect members to the state’s utility commission. (Phoenix Business Journal)

CAP-AND-TRADE: Sixteen of the biggest manufacturers in Maine will receive millions of dollars from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative’s cap-and-trade program. (Maine Public Radio)

TRANSPORTATION: A new report outlines 50 steps the country can take to reach a carbon-free transportation system, calling the current system “Climate Enemy #1.” (Common Dreams)

PIPELINES:
• The EPA is trying to meet with FERC – unsuccessfully so far – to discuss climate reviews for natural gas pipelines. (Greenwire)
• Dakota Access Pipeline protesters move onto private land in North Dakota that was recently purchased by the pipeline developers, saying the area rightfully belongs to Native Americans based on an 1851 treaty. (Associated Press)
• A North Dakota tribe asks the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene in the escalating clash over the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. (NBC News)
• Several states are sending law enforcement officers to North Dakota to help local authorities handle an ongoing protest over the Dakota Access Pipeline.
• An oil leak in Oklahoma forces the temporary shutdown of a pipeline that carries crude to refineries on the Gulf Coast. (Reuters)

OIL & GAS:
• Chevron is spending $1 billion to renovate a 115-year-old oil refinery in California as part of a plan to outlast 13 older refineries in the state. (Reuters)
• A 5.1 magnitude earthquake that hit Oklahoma in February was likely triggered by underground wastewater injections from oil and natural gas operations, according to a new report. (Associated Press)
• Oil and gas groups want to expedite a suit to overturn an EPA plan to further regulate the industry’s methane emissions. (Argus Media)

COAL: Following a recent coal ash spill in North Carolina, an environmental advocacy group in Atlanta is renewing its concerns of Georgia Power’s plan to close 29 coal ash ponds. (Northwest Georgia News)

COMMENTARY: The Northeast needs to develop a roadmap for transforming into a carbon-free economy. (GreenBiz)