UTILITIES: A survey finds utility executives are warming up to working with third-party vendors on distributed generation. (Utility Dive)

POLITICS: A new study finds people of color are less likely than whites to view climate change as a political issue. (ThinkProgress)

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COAL:
• At a gathering in Florida, Dynegy’s CEO says the industry needs to evolve or “coal is going to disappear.” (SNL Energy)
• Coal’s share of the U.S. power mix has fallen behind nuclear three times this year. (Bloomberg)
• A Pennsylvania coal plant is idled in response to low power prices. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• An Illinois coal plant operating on a temporary permit and without modern pollution controls, is the subject of an environmental justice hearing in Chicago. (Midwest Energy News)
• A laid-off Illinois miner files a class action lawsuit against his former employer. (Carbondale Southern Illinoisan)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: A new study says New Mexico could see considerable health and economic benefits from complying with EPA carbon rules. (Albuquerque Journal)

SOLAR:
• Massachusetts solar firms are struggling as the state remains in limbo on solar policy. (Attleboro Sun Chronicle)
• A New Hampshire town rejects a proposed municipal solar project over cost concerns. (Concord Monitor)

WIND:
• Federal wildlife officials sign off on plans for a massive Wyoming wind farm. (Associated Press)
• A Michigan-based company is developing a new turbine-less wind system that could cut the cost of offshore wind projects in half. (Midwest Energy News)
• The Southwest Power Pool sets back-to-back records of supplying nearly 45% of its electricity from wind. (Platts)

POLICY: A judge upholds Montana regulators’ rejection of reduced payments for customers who supply wind and solar power to the grid. (Great Falls Tribune)

OIL AND GAS:
• Community and environmental groups sue over southern California regulators’ adoption of industry-friendly pollution rules. (Los Angeles Times)
• A truck carrying fracking wastewater overturns in Ohio, contaminating a nearby reservoir. (Columbus Dispatch)
• A Texas startup helps women advance in the industry. (BizWomen)
• A natural gas explosion destroys three buildings and injures nine firefighters in Seattle. (Seattle Times)

GRID: An analysis projects distributed energy storage will surpass utility-scale projects by 2020. (Greentech Media)

ELECTRIC CARS:
• Maine and Quebec will partner on an electric vehicle charging network aimed at tourists. (Portland Press Herald)
• Denver’s new building code requires garages in new single-family homes and duplexes to be built to accommodate electric vehicle charging. (Denver Post)

BIOENERGY: Low oil and gas prices are also impacting the biomass industry. (Greenwire)

COMMENTARY: Oklahoma is facing a “swift and brutal reckoning” after the shale boom. (Bloomberg)

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Ken Paulman

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

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