CLIMATE: ExxonMobil misled the public on what it knew about climate change and its link to fossil fuels, according to a new analysis of the company’s communications. (InsideClimate News)

EMISSIONS:
• Long commutes and cheap gas are boosting vehicle emissions in California, according to a new report. (InsideClimate News)
• The Trump administration is giving few details over how it plans to enforce restrictions on methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. (E&E News)

CAP-AND-TRADE: California raised more than $640 million this month as the state’s pollution permits reached their highest price ever, selling at nearly $1 higher than last quarter. (Associated Press)

POLICY: Researchers look at how states are replacing grid investments with energy efficiency and distributed energy, which could ultimately help distributed energy resources get paid as an integral part of the grid. (Greentech Media)

REGULATION: California’s economy is thriving in spite of relatively restrictive environmental rules, while its carbon offset program is working to protect imperiled forests, according to a recent study. (Grist, Washington Post)

OIL & GAS: Prompted by a fatal home explosion in April, Colorado’s governor is asking oil and gas operators to pay to plug 700 to 800 “orphan wells” in the state, but state officials won’t compile a publicly available map of pipelines. (Denver Post)

PIPELINES:
• The company that built the Dakota Access pipeline is suing Greenpeace and other environmental groups for damages upwards of $1 billion, claiming the groups disseminated false information about the project. (Associated Press)
• An appeals court rejects the federal approval of a natural gas pipeline project in the Southeast, saying U.S. regulators assessing new gas pipelines should analyze their potential to increase emissions. (Reuters)

COAL:
• An energy economics group asks Colorado’s governor not to grant Arch Coal a reduction in royalties it pays on one of its coal mines, saying the request would cost the state up to $16 million and “would not stimulate coal production.” (news release)
• Residents of Appalachia want the Trump administration to restart a study into how surface mining can impact health, with one saying, “Science isn’t going to hurt us. What we don’t know very well could.” (Lexington Herald Leader)
• An analysis says Murray Energy’s failure to shift policy in regards to the Trump administration’s use of an emergency order to protect coal plants raises questions about the limits of business leaders to circumvent government bureaucracy. (Politico)

SOLAR:
• Grid operators and utilities say the solar eclipse had no major impact on electricity demand, while the PJM Interconnection reported an unexpected decrease in demand of about 5,000 megawatts throughout the eclipse. (Reuters)
• Solar-plus-storage systems could be more economical than standalone solar installations by 2020, according to a new study from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. (Greentech Media)

EFFICIENCY: A team of Midwestern researchers is studying energy use patterns in hopes of devising home energy management systems with what their users really want. (Midwest Energy News)

NUCLEAR:
• An interview with two energy policy experts explores the political questions surrounding the future of nuclear power in the U.S. (Greentech Media)
• SCANA executives testify at a South Carolina state senate hearing that there was never a reputable system of checks and balances on the construction of the failed Summer nuclear project. (Post and Courier)
• Officials involved with the Summer project tell South Carolina senators that saving the project would require a new partner to pay at least $3 billion. (Charlotte Business Journal)

GRID: The Department of Energy issues a final environmental impact statement for a 192-mile transmission line that would move hydroelectric power from Canada to New Hampshire. (Utility Dive)

UTILITIES: Regulators and Mississippi Power disagree on the amount of money the company should get for the functioning portion of its Kemper power plant, which would affect customers’ rates. (Associated Press)