SOLAR: Shareholders “overwhelmingly” approve Tesla’s acquisition of SolarCity in a stock swap deal worth about $2 billion, paving the way for Tesla to offer an integrated rooftop solar-plus-energy storage product. (Reuters/Greentech Media)
ALSO:
• Arizona-based First Solar plans to lay off 1,600 workers worldwide as it reconfigures its factories to make more efficient solar panels, starting with 450 job cuts in Ohio. (Greentech Media/Associated Press)
• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission dismisses a petition by two electric cooperatives against Maryland’s community solar program. (Utility Dive)
• Experts say Virginia’s solar growth could slow after 2017 due to a lack of demand and beneficial policies. (Southeast Energy News)
CLIMATE: Conservative TV host Bill O’Reilly tells Donald Trump to not pull out of the Paris climate agreement, saying it would “buy some goodwill overseas.” (Mother Jones)
RENEWABLE ENERGY: Burlington, Vermont, is the first city in the U.S. to run off 100 percent renewable energy. (Politico)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: Even if the Clean Power Plan is scrapped, new data shows that the electric sector has already met the plan’s 2024 goal for slashing carbon emissions and its 2030 target for reducing coal use. (Politico)
OIL & GAS:
• Why the U.S. has begun exporting shale gas to the Middle East. (Forbes)
• The U.S. Department of Interior issues a decision to bar oil and gas development in parts of western Colorado and cancel 25 inactive drilling leases. (Denver Business Journal)
• High pipeline tolls in Canada are making it profitable for U.S. companies to ship more shale gas north of the border. (Bloomberg)
• The CEO of the company building the Dakota Access pipeline cancels a meeting to discuss the project with a Native American leader, sending a message that he does “not feel the need for further dialogue.” (FuelFix)
• The Louisiana Public Service Commission approves a proposal to build a 980-megawatt, natural gas-fired power plant approximately 30 miles from New Orleans. (Associated Press)
PIPELINES:
• The head of the company building the Dakota Access pipeline says the project will move forward in spite of protesters, even if it means waiting on a favorable decision from the Trump administration. (The Hill)
• Dakota Access pipeline protesters march in North Dakota’s capital for four days straight. (Associated Press)
NUCLEAR: State utility regulators approve the sale of a nuclear power plant in upstate New York for $110 million. (Associated Press)
POLICY:
• The U.S. Senate rejects a bill that would have given states royalties from oil, gas and wind power production off their coasts. (The Hill)
• The Army Corps of Engineers plans to revise its rules to gather more input from native people before approving projects like the Dakota Access pipeline. (Reuters)
• A handful of new bills could give states control over oil and gas drilling permits on federal land within their borders. (BuzzFeed News)
• Portland, Oregon, strengthens a proposal to prevent large fossil fuel terminals from being built in the city. (Next City)
UTILITIES: Ohio-based FirstEnergy continues its push to have ratepayers prop up its credit rating, telling state regulators that over $200 million in annual charges isn’t nearly enough. (Midwest Energy News)
COMMENTARY:
• Even if auto emission regulations loosen, a Donald Trump presidency won’t mean the end for electric cars. (Bloomberg)
• Energy storage could continue to flourish under a Donal Trump presidency. (Greentech Media)