SOLAR:
• Large corporations are turning to independent power producers in deregulated markets to meet their solar needs. (Utility Dive)
• Maryland regulators are finalizing plans for a statewide three-year pilot community solar program. (Baltimore Sun)
OIL AND GAS:
• In a world of climate change concern and plummeting oil prices, the future of the Canadian tar sands is uncertain. (Minnesota Public Radio)
• The developer behind a major gas pipeline project in the Northeast is having financial problems. (Associated Press)
• House Democrats are said to be open to lifting the crude oil export ban and will seek negotiations with Republicans. (Bloomberg)
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CLIMATE:
• The U.S.’s support of a climate pact in Paris ultimately hinged on one word; France downplays it as a typing error and easily solved. (ClimateWire, Reuters)
• The U.S. got nearly everything it wanted out of a climate deal in Paris, despite claims that it bullied smaller countries or that the deal could be undone by Republicans. (Greenwire)
• Militaries around the world will no longer be automatically exempt from emission-cutting obligations under the Paris deal. (The Guardian)
• Environmental activists say their plans will shift now to ensuring that the goals laid out in the Paris negotiations will be achieved. (New York Times)
• Analysts say significant reductions will need to come from the industrial sector to achieve emissions goals outlined in Paris, but it’s unclear how that would happen. (ClimateWire)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Stakeholder groups are divided over how or whether the grid operator MISO should provide guidance or advocacy while states comply with the Clean Power Plan. (RTO Insider)
• An ongoing question surrounding Clean Power Plan compliance will be how states are given emissions allowances under a mass-based approach. (EnergyWire)
• The rush to replace coal with natural gas instead of renewables and nuclear to generate electricity may be undermining a lower carbon future. (Nashville Public Radio)
FINANCE: Renewable energy stocks rise after the Paris agreement is announced. (The Hill)
REGULATION:
• American Electric Power in Ohio reaches a settlement agreement with regulatory staff and a key environmental group over its “bailout” plan, which includes commitments to renewable energy. (RTO Insider)
• Despite revisions to a proposed settlement agreement, environmental groups and consumer advocates are still opposed to FirstEnergy’s “bailout” request. (Midwest Energy News)
SUSTAINABILITY: Grand Rapids, Michigan becomes a “2030 District” city, with downtown property owners pledging to cut energy use in half over the next 15 years. (Midwest Energy News)
SOLAR: A Minnesota project is helping electric co-ops gain experience in distributed and community solar. (Midwest Energy News)
OFFSHORE DRILLING: A new study challenges an industry estimate of jobs to be created by opening the Southeast coast to oil and gas drilling. (The Virginian-Pilot)
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COAL: Some analysts see divestment and other financial pressures as the last straws in coal’s decline. (SNL)
COMMENTARY:
• We’re still not even close to hitting the “end of the fossil fuel era.” (Vox)
• If the ban on crude oil exports is lifted, it must come with tax incentive extensions for renewable energy. (New York Times)