CLIMATE: President Trump tweets that he will make an official announcement on the Paris Agreement today. (New York Times)
ALSO:
• Over 60 percent of Exxon Mobil’s shareholders vote in favor of a proposal requiring the company to publish an annual assessment of how the Paris climate goals could affect its business. (New York Times)
• Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweets that he “will have no choice but to depart” from President Trump’s advisory board, should he pull out of the Paris climate agreement. (Quartz)
• Economists say exiting the Paris climate accord “is hardly going to create jobs.” (Denver Post)
• According to a survey, the Paris climate agreement is more popular than President Trump and the Republican senators urging him to withdraw from it, even in conservative states. (McClatchy)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: Thirty-five states already comply with Clean Power Plan emissions targets set for 2022. (Associated Press)
SOLAR:
• Oregon lawmakers pass a bill to stop homeowners associations from banning rooftop solar installations. (Portland Business Journal)
• A 34-home subdivision in Milwaukee will have deed restrictions that require solar installations, with the cost paid back through the mortgage. (Midwest Energy News)
WIND: The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center identifies over a dozen shuttered ports that could be used as hubs for companies bidding to build offshore wind farms. (Boston Herald)
RENEWABLES:
• Renewables accounted for over 19 percent of total U.S. electricity generation in the first quarter of 2017, exceeding where the Energy Information Administration predicted it would be by 2035. (Ars Technica)
• U.S. mayors will consider a resolution to formally support the goal of 100 percent renewable energy. (Curbed)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• An electric utility in Vermont launches its first electric vehicle rebate program, offering Burlington residents a $1,200 rebate on cars under $50,000. (Vermont Business Magazine)
• A Utah utility will offer its customers a $10,000 discount off the purchase of a 2017 Nissan Leaf. (Deseret News)
BIOFUELS: An explosion at an ethanol plant in Wisconsin kills one and injures several others. (WISN-TV)
SMART GRIDS: More than 30 states have taken policy actions to modernize their grid systems, according to a new quarterly report. (Utility Dive)
REGULATION: The EPA issues a 90-day stay on an Obama-era rule designed to limit methane leaks from oil and gas wells, which was slated to go into effect this weekend. (The Hill, Reuters)
OIL & GAS: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signs an order calling for updated assessments of oil and natural gas reserves in northern Alaska, drawing criticism from environmental groups. (Associated Press)
PIPELINES:
• A report released today by a public accountability non-profit details the political and financial relationships surrounding Dominion Resources as it seeks approval of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (Southeast Energy News)
• The Dakota Access pipeline is expected to start shipping oil today. (Associated Press)
COAL: After more than a century, an Iowa coal plant ceases operations. (Telegraph Herald)
UTILITIES: Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning defends the regulated utility model and says the Kemper and Vogtle plants are “way out of economic reason” for ratepayers. (E&E News)
COMMENTARY:
• U.S. cities will work to tackle climate change, with or without the Paris agreement, says a columnist for Quartz.
• Tesla’s solar roof will define the next generation of residential solar, according to the CEO of SunTegra. (Greentech Media)