POLICY:
• President Trump repeals an Obama-era rule that forced oil, natural gas and mining companies to disclose any payments they made abroad. (The Hill)
• Two previous rulings shed light on what President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee could mean for energy policy. (Utility Dive)
CLIMATE: Greenhouse gas emissions dropped in 2015, reducing America’s overall climate pollution to below 1994 levels, according to a new EPA report. (Climate Central)
CAP-AND-TRADE: A cap-and-trade program in Oregon would lower emissions and have little impact on the state’s economic output, according to a study from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. (Portland Business Journal)
SOLAR:
• Hawaii’s Public Utilities Commission files an order to create shared solar projects that will be compensated differently based on the time of day that they provide power. (Greentech Media)
• A new study finds that residential energy storage can increase power consumption and undercut the environmental benefits of rooftop solar, but critics say the report is too narrow and “completely ignores the grid that the home is plugged in to.” (Utility Dive)
HYDRO:
• A damaged dam in Northern California is part of a network of state dams that are suffering from age and stress, and severe weather accelerated by global warming could lead to more trouble down the road. (New York Times)
• Natural gas plants will have to fill in for an 819-megawatt hydropower plant that is closed due to the dam crisis in California. (Bloomberg)
• Environmental groups urged federal officials to reinforce the infrastructure of California’s Oroville Dam, which is now deteriorating, nearly 12 years ago. (Greenwire)
• Research teams at Michigan’s two largest universities are working to overcome the some of the limitations of hydroelectric generation. (Midwest Energy News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The Kansas City area is one of the fastest-growing electric vehicle markets in the country, thanks to a $20 million project launched two years ago by Kansas City Power & Light. (NPR)
POLLUTION: With a history of opposition toward a regional haze program, EPA chief nominee Scott Pruitt could offer relief to utilities that face costly cleanups for older coal-fired plants. (Greenwire)
COAL:
• Green groups are fighting a plan by Dominion Virginia Power to bury nearly 1 million tons of coal ash near the Potomac River, saying it would be dangerous to nearby residents and wildlife. (Washington Post)
• Coal giant Murray Energy files a motion with Ohio regulators to stop the planned closure of two coal-fired plants. (Dayton Business Journal)
OIL & GAS:
• Colorado’s attorney general is suing to overturn Boulder County’s moratorium on oil and gas drilling, saying it violates state law and a state Supreme Court ruling. (Denver Business Journal)
• West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection says it won’t regulate the light and sound coming from natural gas compressor stations. (The Intelligencer)
FRACKING: A Democratic lawmaker in Nevada introduces legislation to ban fracking in the state and repeal previously approved regulations governing the practice. (Review-Journal)
PIPELINES:
• Environmental groups are appealing a decision by Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection to issue permits for a 350-mile gas pipeline. (Associated Press)
• The movement to divest from banks that fund the Dakota Access Pipeline is growing. (Grist)
• Charges are refiled against a climate activist who tried to shut off an oil pipeline in Washington state after a jury failed to reach a verdict earlier this month. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY:
• Republicans are siding with polluters, not people, when it comes to protecting U.S. waterways, says a Sierra Club director. (Huffington Post)
• A federal rule to limit methane emissions would help Nevada by spurring innovation, creating jobs and improving health, according to a county parks and recreation supervisor. (Las Vegas Sun)