REGULATION: The U.S. Senate narrowly rejects a resolution to repeal an Obama-era regulation limiting harmful methane emissions from oil and gas wells on public lands, but the Interior Department says it will now fight to overturn the rule. (New York Times, Huffington Post)
CLIMATE POLICY:
• Numerous experts tell a California Senate committee that the state’s cap-and-trade program must be improved going forward. (Associated Press)
• California’s climate change efforts have failed to curb pollution in many low-income neighborhoods. (Ensia)
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SOLAR:
• The parent company of a major U.S. solar manufacturer files for insolvency, blaming “ongoing price erosion.” (Greentech Media)
• Tesla begins taking orders for solar roof tiles, which cost $21.85 per square foot for an average American home. (Associated Press, Greentech Media)
• Solar manufacturer Suniva wants the Trump administration to raise trade barriers against key imports, but the issue is not that straightforward. (E&E News)
• Solar development is gaining momentum in Virginia after years of little activity. (PV Magazine)
• A nonprofit that provides housing for disabled adults in Illinois will host a pilot site for a unique community solar project. (Midwest Energy News)
WIND:
• A legislative committee unanimously rejects a bill that would have moved a wind energy test site in Maine at least 7 miles farther out to sea. (Portland Press Herald)
• Developers are regrouping after voters in a wind-rich Michigan region rejected plans for proposed projects and approved zoning changes to restrict future development. (Midwest Energy News)
OIL & GAS:
• The Interior Department will consider allowing six companies to test for oil and natural gas off the Atlantic coast using seismic surveying. (The Hill)
• Federal investigators are reviewing a fatal home explosion caused by a natural gas leak in Colorado last month “to see if there are any issues that may have a national impact.” (Denver Business Journal)
• Voters in Coos County, Oregon, will vote on a ballot measure to ban fossil fuel transport through the county, effectively blocking a liquefied natural gas project. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
PIPELINES:
• The controversial Dakota Access Pipeline has already leaked 84 gallons of crude oil in South Dakota, according to state documents. (Huffington Post)
• Federal regulators restrict work on a natural gas pipeline in Ohio after the developer reported 18 leaks of drilling materials totaling over 2 million gallons. (Washington Post)
COAL:
• Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship completes a one-year prison sentence stemming from a fatal coal mine disaster and accuses a West Virginia senator of lying about the cause of the incident. (The Hill)
• A West Virginia congressman says extracting rare earth elements has “incredible potential” to help revive the coal industry, although scientists have said existing mine waste provides plenty of potential. (Bloomberg, Southeast Energy News archive)
NUCLEAR: When a nuclear plant outside New York City closes, the state will have to rely on greater energy efficiency and storage capacity to meet its goal of 50 percent renewable energy by 2030. (Greentech Media)
COMMENTARY:
• A communications director at the Environmental Defense Fund lists seven Trump environmental appointees with conflicts of interest. (Huffington Post)
• Investing in green technology and sustainability should be a joint effort between the public and private sector, says the global head of corporate responsibility and inclusion at Thomson Reuters. (The Hill)