RENEWABLES: Republican governors nationwide are embracing renewable energy from an economic development perspective. (E&E News)

SOLAR:
• A lawsuit seeking to block a 21.9-megawatt solar project at a New Jersey theme park because it would remove nearly 15,000 trees is dismissed. (Associated Press)
• If successful, Suniva’s trade dispute would cause “unprecedented demand destruction” and erase two-thirds of expected installations expected to come online through 2022. (Greentech Media)
• Nonprofit institutions across Wisconsin are taking advantage of third-party financing to help pay for solar energy installations, despite the lack of a clear statewide policy on the issue. (Midwest Energy News)

STORAGE: New York lawmakers unanimously pass a measure requiring state regulators to set targets for increasing energy storage through 2030. (RTO Insider)

OIL AND GAS:
• People associated with multiple failed oil and gas projects or companies will have to notify state regulators when they seek new business in Wyoming. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• As the Trump administration restarts a process this month that could lead to seismic tests in the Atlantic, environmentalists and those in the oil industry have conflicting responses. (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)

CARBON CAPTURE: Industry analysts say the possible end to Southern Co.’s flagship “clean coal” project in Mississippi is not the death knell for carbon capture technology. (E&E News)

COAL:
• U.S. coal mining increased 19 percent in the first five months of 2017. (Associated Press)
• A tribe in southeastern Montana struggles over whether to open its vast coal resources to development. (NPR)
• The Trump administration is seeking opportunities for using U.S. energy abroad by undoing a ban on financing coal plants overseas. (Bloomberg)

GRID: The American Petroleum Institute says natural gas is a valuable asset to maintain grid reliability amid the growth of renewables. (Utility Dive)

CLIMATE:
• California Gov. Jerry Brown has been working behind the scenes with lobbyists and lawmakers to extend the state’s cap-and-trade program. (Los Angeles Times)
• Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo will decide whether to sign a bill that shields climate scientists and other university researchers from certain public records requests. (Associated Press)
• As Miami Beach hosts the annual U.S. Conferences of Mayors, its mayor uses the event to make the city the “poster child” for sea-level rise and him as the champion fighting it. (Miami Herald)

PIPELINES:
• The additional environmental review of the Dakota Access pipeline will focus on the project’s impact on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. (Associated Press)
• Federal regulators’ final environmental review of a gas pipeline through West Virginia and Virginia is mostly favorable for developers, though the project is opposed by many environmental groups and landowners. (Associated Press)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Some California lawmakers hope to use lessons learned from a statewide solar rebate program to boost electric vehicle adoption. (Greentech Media)

EFFICIENCY:
• With targeted investment in companies and policies focused on improving energy efficiency, Minnesota’s energy sector could grow to support 26,000 jobs a year, according to a new report. (Midwest Energy News)
• U.S. Department of Energy researchers find that maximizing electricity-use controls in commercial buildings could cut energy usage 4 to 5 percent nationwide. (Phys.org)
• Mississippi and Louisiana are following Arkansas’s energy efficiency programs, which show that regulations can benefit ratepayers and utilities while creating new energy efficiency jobs. (Southeast Energy News)