OIL & GAS: The Trump administration is expected to ease offshore drilling safety requirements put in place after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil explosion and spill. (Bloomberg)
ALSO:
• Texas lawmakers consider two bills that would make civil disobedience at oil and gas sites a second-degree felony. (Texas Observer)
• Republican lawmakers say President Trump has pledged to not grant a Jones Act waiver that would have eased shipments of natural gas to Puerto Rico and the Northeast. (Bloomberg)
• An industry group says improved technology means methane emissions are declining even as gas production increases; critics note the report relies on limited data. (TribLive)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A bill that would hike annual registration fees for plug-in vehicles stalls in the North Carolina legislature, while one that would fine drivers for blocking charging stations moves forward. (Energy News Network)
• Washington state lawmakers have revived a lapsed tax break for electric and hybrid vehicles. (Jefferson Public Radio)
• General Motors asks a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a South Dakota resident claiming the automaker misled customers about electric vehicle range. (Sioux Falls Argus Leader)
EFFICIENCY:
• A collapse in marijuana prices is forcing growers to focus more on reducing energy consumption. (Utility Dive)
• An advanced heat recovery system helped a Minnesota museum cut its carbon emissions by 16%. (Energy News Network)
• On-bill financing is helping utilities upgrade efficiency in homes at no upfront cost to customers. (GreenBiz)
RENEWABLES:
• Northeast universities are designing programs to help fill the gap in qualified workers needed for clean energy technologies. (Energy News Network)
• An official with Minnesota-based General Mills makes the business case for running on 100 percent renewable power. (Minnesota Public Radio)
WIND:
• Federal researchers look to boost the output and revenue of wind projects by orienting turbines to minimize wind wake disturbance. (Energy News Network)
• Offshore wind development in the Northeast has attracted unprecedented amounts of spending on lobbyists influencing state policies. (E&E News)
SOLAR: The mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee, says he will work to make the city more solar friendly and energy efficient. (WDEF)
UTILITIES:
• The Supreme Court rules that the Tennessee Valley Authority cannot use government immunity to stave off lawsuits. (Knoxville News Sentinel)
• A Kentucky utility’s customers will help pay for dues with trade groups that lobby against environmental protections and small-scale renewables. (WFPL)
• An environmental group says Duke Energy is holding back renewable energy development in states where it operates. (WBOI)
COAL: The Justice Department opens an investigation into Southern Company’s failed coal-fired power plant. (Associated Press)
BIOFUELS: Republican U.S. senators ask the EPA to scale back the amount of corn-based ethanol that’s required to be blended into the national fuel supply. (E&E News, subscription)
OVERSIGHT:
• Members of a key Congressional subcommittee overseeing pipeline safety have invested as much as $2.8 million in fossil fuel and pipeline companies. (Sludge)
• North Carolina’s governor nominates three new members to the state’s utility board, which could reshape the commission. (Energy News Network)
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CLIMATE: Federal regulators sustain nearly half of company challenges to shareholder resolutions demanding more reporting on emissions reduction efforts. (InsideClimate News)
COMMENTARY:
• Your gas stove is bad for the planet and your family’s health, write a clean energy advocate and former environmental reporter. (New York Times)
• Energy efficiency is the “largest brake” we have to combat climate change, but we’re not pushing hard enough, an efficiency advocate writes. (Utility Dive)