REGULATION:
• President Trump signs an executive order requiring agencies to eliminate at least two regulations for each new regulation added. (Washington Post)
• By filling 114 vacant federal judge positions, President Trump could make it harder for future administrations to pass new climate rules and environmental regulations. (Climate Central)

POLITICS: Senators will vote today on whether to approve Rep. Ryan Zinke for interior secretary and former Texas governor Rick Perry for energy secretary. (The Hill)

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CLIMATE:
• Scientists at national laboratories are worried that their climate change research may be under threat from the Trump administration. (Climatewire)
• A trial begins for a climate change activist who faces up to three decades in prison for participating in a protest last October that shut down a crude oil pipeline in Washington. (Reuters)
• A Trump adviser says he expects the president to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, calling the environmental movement “the greatest threat to freedom and prosperity in the modern world.” (The Guardian)

SOLAR:
• A “buy all, sell all” proposal in Indiana would give rooftop solar customers the worst deal in the country. (Midwest Energy News)
• A pair of bills in Nebraska would support community solar projects by offering developers roughly $16 million in annual grants from the state’s lottery proceeds, while mandating that utilities allow projects initiated by their customers. (Midwest Energy News)
• A San Antonio utility is renewing its rooftop solar rebate program, setting aside $9 million for residential projects and $6 million for commercial projects. (San Antonio Business Journal)
• A California-based solar company files a formal complaint against Duke Energy, alleging the company is violating federal and state law by refusing long-term power-purchase agreements for utility-scale solar projects. (Charlotte Business Journal)

STORAGE: A massive energy storage facility featuring nearly 400 Tesla PowerPack batteries comes online in Southern California. (Los Angeles Times)

COAL: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduces legislation to block a rule that protects waterways from coal mining pollution, calling the regulation “an attack on coal families.” (The Hill)

PIPELINES:
• Environmental activists and Native Americans are promising to block the construction of a $900 million oil pipeline in Oklahoma, saying the project might disturb ancestral graves. (The Oklahoman)
• With a pending shortage of commissioners on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, several energy firms are asking the agency to decide this week on proposed natural gas pipelines. (Reuters)
• A government lawyer says it’s unclear when the Army Corps of Engineers could issue a construction easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline, as ordered by President Trump. (The Hill)
• The Rhode Island House Minority Leader sends a letter to President Trump asking him to revive a stalled natural gas pipeline project. (Associated Press)
• Native Americans and environmental activists say they plan to create camps along the Keystone XL pipeline route and fight the project “every step of the way.” (Common Dreams)

POLLUTION: A Texas oil pipeline ruptures and spills after a contractor accidentally cuts a high pressure oil line. (Reuters)

COMMENTARY: Los Angeles should implement a buffer zone law to protect its residents from oil well pollution, says the New York Times editorial board.