CLIMATE: The Securities and Exchange Commission orders Exxon Mobil to hold a shareholder vote that could require the company to disclose how climate change impacts its profits. (New York Times)
UTILITIES: Despite opposition from key officials, Washington D.C. regulators approve the $6.8 billion merger between Pepco and Chicago-based Exelon. (Washington Post)
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EPA: GOP lawmakers tell EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to refocus the agency’s efforts away from the Clean Power Plan and onto more basic infrastructure needs. (E&E Daily)
SOLAR:
• Local officials in New Jersey approve a 2.1 MW solar array near a Six Flags amusement park that faced strong opposition over the 15,000 trees that will be cut down in the process. (Asbury Park Press)
• Why a proposed National Guard solar array won’t be subject to Vermont’s net metering cap. (The Commons)
WIND:
• Federal data show major U.S. oil states are also leaders in wind energy. (UPI)
• New England offshore wind developers try to move beyond the Cape Wind controversy. (Boston Globe)
RENEWABLES:
• The Department of Energy announces $9 million in funding for clean energy projects in tribal communities. (Huffington Post)
• Opponents of a Vermont bill to give more wind and solar siting authority to local governments say it will diminish their voice in the process. (Associated Press)
FRACKING: New Labor Department rules on silica exposure could impact fracking operations. (New York Times)
OIL & GAS:
• Industry leaders in West Virginia discuss how natural gas can become an economic driver. (WDTV)
• Fort Worth officials say Chesapeake Energy cheated the city out of millions of dollars on leases. (Fort Worth Star Telegram)
• Protestors try to interrupt a sale of Gulf leases at the Superdome in New Orleans.(InsideClimate News)
COAL:
• Wyoming landowners seek state action in declaring Peabody Energy no longer eligible for self-bonding to fund mine cleanup. (WyoFile)
• A federal court dismisses a challenge to a pollution plant for a Navajo Nation coal plant. (Associated Press)
SMART METERS: Chicago-based Commonwealth Edison agrees to test whether customers with smart meters are reducing their energy consumption compared to those without the meters. (EnergyWire)
EFFICIENCY: A report finds mixed results for electric co-ops on efficiency. (Intelligent Utility)
COMMENTARY:
• A lack of political will means the U.S. ranks behind Turkey and Uzbekistan on high-speed rail. (Grist)
• “Climate change is not just for tree-huggers any more. Bankers have joined the fight.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• Conservatives look to appeal to a younger generation by embracing clean energy.(Midwest Energy News)