CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• A study from the Southwest Power Pool finds it will be more cost-effective for states to collaborate on carbon reduction, echoing similar studies by other regional grid operators. (Utility Dive)
• Many existing nuclear reactors will likely still close under the Clean Power Plan. (Vox)
CLIMATE:
• Scientists say California’s drought is “definitely made worse by global warming.” (New York Times)
• A study finds 450 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions could be avoided if the U.S. ends fossil fuel leasing on federal lands; meanwhile, a federal auction for Gulf oil leases saw the lowest participation since 1986. (Thomson Reuters Foundation, New York Times)
• A California lawmaker says cutting carbon emissions will be good for business. (Sacramento Business Journal)
PHILANTHROPY: The MacArthur Foundation* will hand out $50 million in grants for various climate change initiatives. (ClimateWire)
COAL:
• Troubles with the Kemper “clean coal” plant put Mississippi Power on the brink of bankruptcy. (Greentech Media)
• A Wyoming coal company buys a stake in a West Coast terminal, betting the export market will rebound. (Casper Star-Tribune)
CLEAN ENERGY: A retired clergyman and a former state PSC candidate lead a campaign for a ballot measure to establish a 20 percent renewable energy standard in Montana. (Associated Press)
SOLAR:
• Dozens of advocates protested and some testified Wednesday against a plan from Michigan Republicans to eliminate the state’s net metering program. (Associated Press, Midwest Energy News)
• Net metering becomes an issue in the presidential campaign. (Greentech Media)
WIND: Changing weather patterns are slowing wind production on the West Coast. (Washington Examiner)
FRACKING: Less than nine months into the year, Oklahoma already has more earthquakes than it did in 2014. (EnergyWire)
UTILITIES: A judge upholds a decision by Montana regulators that a utility can’t raise rates to, in part, recover lost revenue from efficiency programs. (Associated Press)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Audi and Mercedes prepare to unveil challenges to Tesla. (Los Angeles Times)
COMMENTARY: Technology is a key driver to developing sustainable energy generation. (Midwest Energy News)
*Editor’s note: The MacArthur Foundation funds U.S. Energy News.