CLIMATE: 
• Scientists project sea levels could rise twice as high as previously expected by the end of the century, citing new understandings about Antarctic melting. (Washington Post)
• After the state legislature declines to take up the issue, an initiative to establish a carbon tax in Washington state will go before voters. (Associated Press)

EXXON INVESTIGATION:
• Attorneys general from Oklahoma and Alabama say a New York-led investigation into ExxonMobil’s climate disclosures stifles the debate on climate, saying “reasonable minds can disagree about the science behind global warming.” (Bloomberg)
• The U.S. Chamber calls investigations into oil companies’ climate disclosures “un-American.” (The Hill)
• California lawmakers urge the state’s pension fund to divest from ExxonMobil. (Reuters)

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PIPELINES:
• Developers of a natural gas pipeline through Georgia suspend work in response to a state moratorium on new projects. (Florida Times-Union)
• How a D.C. attorney is using FERC proceedings to block pipeline projects. (SNL Energy)
• New York’s state Comptroller raises questions about pipeline oversight. (Albany Times Union)

OIL & GAS:
• The EPA unveils a partnership with 41 companies agreeing to voluntarily reduce methane emissions. (Associated Press)
• A Colorado district plans a new elementary school next to a drilling site. (ABC7)

COAL:
• The company planning to buy Peabody Energy mines backs out of a loan deal, jeopardizing the chances of helping Peabody stave off bankruptcy. (Bloomberg)
• Peabody says it will lay off 235 workers in the Powder River Basin. (Reuters)

TRANSPORTATION: The chairman of BNSF Railway says “we are in an energy depression” as declining coal and oil markets harm the railroad’s bottom line. (WDAY)

SOLAR:
• Utilities and clean-energy advocates back a New Hampshire bill requiring state regulators to undertake a thorough study of net metering rates. (Concord Monitor)
• How SunEdison went from being an investor favorite to the verge of bankruptcy. (Bloomberg)
• A Louisville, Kentucky homeowner is in a legal battle with historic preservationists over his solar panels. (Louisville Courier-Journal)

WIND: Citing ten proposed projects around the country, a national conservation group seeks tougher restrictions on siting wind farms to avoid bird deaths. (Midwest Energy News)

UTILITIES: Utah’s governor signs a controversial bill that reduces regulatory oversight of the state’s largest utility. (Deseret News)

BIOENERGY:
• Maine lawmakers are divided on whether to subsidize biomass plants. (Portland Press Herald)
• A new power plant fueled by landfill gas goes online near Los Angeles. (Los Angeles Times)

NUCLEAR: Beyond competition from natural gas, maintenance costs for aging facilities are also cutting into the economics of nuclear power. (U.S. News and World Report)

COMMENTARY:
• Should nuclear power be included in renewable energy standards? (Houston Chronicle)
• A new report explains how the U.S. can run on 100 percent renewable energy. (Huffington Post)
• How the Clean Power Plan will create jobs. (NRDC)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

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