CLEAN POWER PLAN: Eighteen states, led by New York, seek to defend the Clean Power Plan in a legal action. (Greenwire)
ALSO:
• Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper files a petition with the state Supreme Court challenging his attorney general’s decision to join a lawsuit opposing the plan. (Denver Business Journal)
• “We don’t change directions easily”: Rural co-ops discuss how to meet Clean Power Plan targets at a meeting in North Dakota. (Bismarck Tribune)
KEYSTONE XL: The State Department formally rejects TransCanada’s request to suspend review of the Keystone XL project. (Reuters)
WIND:
• A federal judge rejects Obama administration approval of a Nevada wind project, saying the Interior Department didn’t do enough to evaluate impact on eagles and tortoises. (Greenwire)
• Michigan regulators say the amount of new wind contracts in the state may have peaked by 2014 due in part to the state’s renewable energy standard leveling off. (Midwest Energy News)
• A review finds all but two wind turbines in Oklahoma comply with new setback rules passed by the legislature. (Oklahoman)
SOLAR:
• Exxon predicted today’s solar boom back in the 1980s. (Bloomberg)
• The head of the solar industry’s main lobby says there are four ways Congress could extend beyond 2016 the 30% Investment Tax Credit. (Greentech Media)
OIL AND GAS:
• Documents reveal California Gov. Jerry Brown had state workers research oil and gas potential on his private land. (Associated Press)
• A Pennsylvania senator wants railroads to slow down oil trains in urban areas. (Associated Press)
• How an Oklahoma town has learned to weather the boom and bust cycle of the oil industry. (Associated Press)
FRACKING:
• The EPA’s finding of no “widespread, systemic” impacts on drinking water from fracking is being challenged by the agency’s scientific advisers. (EnergyWire)
• Defying a federal judge’s ruling, a Pennsylvania town revises its charter to maintain its ban on wastewater from drilling operations. (Pittsburgh Business Times)
• A Pennsylvania township upholds strict fracking restrictions. (New Castle News)
NUCLEAR: An industry group warns that nuclear plant closures could jeopardize climate goals. (The Hill)
COAL:
• An independent study finds two western New York coal plants are not needed to maintain reliability. (Politico)
• Murray Energy will close mines in Illinois and Utah by the end of next year. (SNL)
Manufacturers like Caterpillar are taking a hit as mining companies rely more on used equipment. (Bloomberg)
WASTE TO ENERGY: Regulators in Arizona and lawmakers in Michigan debate whether incinerating garbage counts as “renewable” energy. (Arizona Daily Sun, WILX)
COMMENTARY:
• If a solar plant burns natural gas, is it really “green”? (Gizmodo)
• A proposed gas pipeline in the Southeast raises social justice concerns. (Grist)
• Burning coal is choking our health care system. (Forbes)
• Michael Bloomberg and Michael Brune say the war on coal is just beginning. (CNN)