OIL & GAS: A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into how Exxon Mobil values its assets is sending a message to other companies about possible scrutiny from regulators over their climate change impacts. (Wall Street Journal)
PIPELINES:
• Exxon Mobil agrees to a $12 million settlement for a pipeline break that spilled 63,000 gallons of oil into Montana’s Yellowstone River. (Associated Press)
• North Dakota will borrow $6 million from a state-owned bank to cover costs related to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, which have already totaled about $1.8 million for law enforcement and other related costs. (Associated Press)
• An Alabama pipeline break that caused a 12-day shutdown of the largest gasoline conduit in the U.S. has been repaired, but the impact on gasoline prices was significant. (Reuters)
***SPONSORED LINK: Subscribe to MacArthur Foundation’s new Morning Climate for expertly curated stories and thoughtful analysis on climate change.***
UTILITIES:
• A fire at a power plant in Puerto Rico leaves 3.5 million people without power. (Associated Press)
• Ohio utility FirstEnergy receives criticism for a plan to collect shared-savings incentives on efficiency projects that “they did not create or were not involved with.” (Midwest Energy News)
GRID: Duke Energy’s solar and battery microgrid in Charlotte has successfully handled two weather events without any human intervention. (Greentech Media)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY: Top-selling U.S. TV brands may be installing software to disable power-saving features when not under test conditions, meaning a TV’s energy consumption could double under real-world conditions, according to independent tests. (The Guardian)
COAL:
• A Senate committee votes in favor of a bill that would save coal miners’ pensions by transferring funds from a federal mine cleanup fund to the United Mine Workers of America. (The Hill)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority spars with environmental advocates over using “intelligent compaction technology” to dispose of coal ash. (Southeast Energy News)
RENEWABLE ENERGY: Republican voters in Ohio strongly support the expansion of green energy in the state, even if it raises their electric bills, according to a recent poll. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
SOLAR:
• The unpredictability of when the sun will shine represents a minor cost when compared against the installation costs of solar, according to a new study. (CleanTechnica)
• Solar advocates are petitioning the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to intervene in a Montana case that suspended federal renewable energy requirements. (PV Magazine)
NUCLEAR: A House committee votes to remove a deadline for a tax credit that requires newly-built nuclear plants to be in operation by 2020. (The Hill)
TRANSPORTATION: Lawmakers unveil a bill that would ease taxes on natural gas-fueled trucks. (The Hill)
POLICY: House Republicans criticize a new Obama administration request for federal agencies to consider climate change impacts in environmental reviews, saying it will slow down permitting for drilling projects and pipeline construction. (The Hill)
TECHNOLOGY: In a Q&A, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz explains how the U.S. is getting aggressive on cleantech innovation. (Vox)
COMMENTARY: New research finds that if we want to limit warming to two degrees, “we’re done expanding the fossil fuel frontier.” (The New Republic)