PIPELINES: President Trump signs orders to revive the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines, as opponents vow to fight back. (Reuters)
ALSO:
• President Trump’s decision to revive the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines is sending a clear message that energy firms and their projects are back in favor. (Los Angeles Times)
• Over 250 people attend a heated public-comment session over a proposed gas pipeline that would run through New Jersey’s protected Pinelands forest. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
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OIL & GAS:
• The Texas Railroad Commission hopes to plug 1,050 abandoned oil and gas wells in 2017. (FuelFix)
• The University of Denver refuses to pull the school’s investments from fossil fuel companies, but approves the creation of a $5 million “green fund” that will pay for solar panels and other projects. (Denver Post)
• Only 27 percent of Americans think the U.S. should prioritize the expansion of the coal, oil, and gas industries, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. (Quartz)
POLLUTION: A federal judge finds the power company Ameren Missouri guilty of Clean Air Act violations for upgrading a coal-fired power plant with the necessary permits and pollution controls. (St. Louis Business Journal)
REGULATION: President Trump tells auto industry CEOs that he will make it easier to build plants in the U.S. and promises to limit “out of control” environmental regulations. (Washington Post)
CLIMATE:
• California Gov. Jerry Brown gives a speech denouncing President Trump’s attacks on science and defending his state’s efforts to combat climate change, saying “whatever they do in Washington, they can’t change the facts.” (Washington Post)
• The Trump administration has ordered the EPA to remove the climate change page from its website, according to anonymous sources at the agency. (Reuters)
• Scientists may plan their own march on Washington to protest President Trump’s policies on climate change and other issues. (Washington Post)
SOLAR:
• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejects an appeal by Montana solar advocates alleging state regulators violated the law when they allowed a local utility to suspend its payments to solar facilities under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act. (Utility Dive)
• A Senate panel in New Mexico endorses a bill to renew a solar tax credit for an additional eight years. (Associated Press)
BIOFUEL: The EPA’s Renewable Fuels Standard is unlikely to be delayed or significantly changed under the Trump administration, according to the Renewable Fuels Association. (Reuters)
CAP-AND-TRADE: A legal battle over California’s cap-and-trade program heads to a Sacramento appeals court. (Los Angeles Times)
STORAGE: A Canadian company wants to install underwater energy storage systems at coal-fired power plants in the U.S. (Utility Dive)
EFFICIENCY: Venture capitalists invested $1.3 billion on companies focused on smart grids, energy storage and energy efficiency last year, compared to $1.67 billion in 2015. (Utility Dive)
NUCLEAR: Secretary of Energy nominee Rick Perry may consider working with private companies to store nuclear waste – a move that could represent a serious conflict of interest. (Mother Jones)
POLICY: Experts say President Trump’s plan to revive coal while increasing oil and gas production is “as contradictory as ever.” (High Country News)
GRID: With over 15 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity added last year, the U.S. power grid is facing engineering and policy challenges. (Midwest Energy News)
POLITICS: The Trump administration tells several federal agencies dealing with scientific data and environmental policy not to speak to the press or use social media. (Reuters)
COMMENTARY: The ethanol industry should be wary of President Trump. (Forbes)