OIL AND GAS: With exports of oil and natural gas surging, the Trump administration says the U.S. is on the verge of becoming a net exporter of energy. (Associated Press)
ALSO:
• The U.S. EPA and Colorado regulators are seeking fines of up to $100,000 a day against an oil and gas company for failing to control air pollution at dozens of oil tank sites. (Associated Press)
• Scientists think they know what happened to the oil plume from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. (Phys.org)
• An application for the first hydraulic fracturing permit in Illinois is reviving a debate where the practice was first approved four years ago. (Springfield State Journal-Register)
GRID:
• Renewable energy companies operating in western states are managing wind energy to provide “firm power” amid the debate over renewables and grid reliability. (E&E News)
• A California municipality is suing state regulators over a proposed $350 million transmission project, saying it is the “latest in a series of unnecessary and costly utility projects.” (Los Angeles Times)
SOLAR:
• New Hampshire regulators approve new net metering rules after years of debate, reflecting a compromise between utilities and solar advocates. (New Hampshire Union Leader)
• A conversation recorded of Montana utility regulators shows new terms for small solar projects might have been knowingly set to discourage development. (Billings Gazette)
• Tesla begins selling solar panels in storefronts on the West Coast and Hawaii. (Greentech Media)
• Kansas’ largest utility wants state regulators to approve new demand fees for its distributed generation customers, though advocates say there are too few solar customers at this point making an impact on utility revenue. (Midwest Energy News)
REGULATION: The U.S. Senate confirms the chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to a new five-year term. (The Hill)
OIL BY RAIL: A petition moves forward in Spokane, Washington to fine oil and coal trains that move through downtown. (Spokane Spokesman-Review)
COAL: A lobbying fight emerges over provisions to include in a bill supporting coal-mining communities. (The Hill)
EFFICIENCY: Kansas regulators have rejected the first utility energy efficiency incentive program proposed in the state since a new efficiency law took effect in 2014. (Midwest Energy News)
STORAGE: Dominion Energy is looking at sites in southwest Virginia to invest more than $1.8 billion in a pumped hydroelectric storage station, which could be a “game-changer” for the region. (Beckley Register-Herald)
RENEWABLES: The U.S. Conference of Mayors concluded in Florida with a unanimous commitment from more than 250 cities to run completely on renewable energy sources in two decades. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY:
• A Forbes columnist says if the U.S. Supreme Court does not uphold the Clean Power Plan, “many companies will take the helm and lead by example.”
• A University of Maryland business professor on why Tesla is overhyped and overvalued. (Vox)
• Climate change lawsuits pose the fundamental question of whether the issue is too “political.” (Yale Climate Connections)
• An advocacy group says energy efficiency should be a key component of President Trump’s “Energy Week.” (American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy)