CLEAN ENERGY:
• New data suggest the U.S. is making “permanent shifts” toward a clean-energy system. (National Geographic)
• The U.S. EIA projects utility-scale renewable projects will supply 14 percent of U.S. electricity this year. (Utility Dive)
• A Hawaii co-op generated 90 percent of its electricity from renewable sources four times in January. (HawaiiNewsNow)

TRANSPORTATION: The White House will propose a $10 per barrel tax on oil to support clean transportation projects. (New York Times)

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CLIMATE:
• A 1982 report shows the oil industry was already aware of “serious consequences” from climate change. (InsideClimate News)
• A coalition of industry and environmental groups push for tax breaks for carbon capture projects. (E&E Daily)
• The California teachers’ pension fund is divesting its coal assets. (ClimateWire)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: In a brief to the Supreme Court, White House officials call states’ effort to block the Clean Power Plan “extraordinary and unprecedented.” (The Hill)

COAL:
• Wyoming may not see another major coal lease sale until 2020. (WyoFile)
• Federal officials want to enter settlement talks with groups filing climate lawsuits over western coal mining. (Associated Press)

SOLAR:
• Why Nevada lawmakers are staying out of the state’s solar debate, for now. (VegasInc)
• Will Nevada’s controversial net metering decision set a national precedent? (Greentech Media)
• A clean-energy venture capitalist and former Greenpeace operative hopes solar companies will unseat oil and gas companies that dominate the energy market. (EnergyWire)

GRID:
• Arizona regulators approve a new transmission project intended to expand renewable energy. (Arizona Daily Star)
• California legislators question a plan to expand the state’s electric grid to include a largely coal-dependent utility. (Los Angeles Times) 

SMART METERS: A report finds that despite having more than 50 million smart meters installed, utilities for the most part are still not sharing meaningful data with customers. (Greentech Media)

OIL AND GAS:
• Activists deliver 2 million petitions to the White House opposing offshore drilling in the Atlantic. (Bloomberg)
• Production from the Bakken and Eagle Ford shales is declining. (Houston Chronicle)
• A Minnesota oil refinery plans to spend $750 million to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency. (Minnesota Public Radio)
• The first wrongful death lawsuit is filed over the ongoing natural gas leak near Los Angeles. (Reuters)
• A New Jersey bill aims to reduce leaks from natural gas pipelines. (NJ Spotlight)

NUCLEAR: New Mexico lawmakers are advancing legislation to encourage nuclear waste storage in the state. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY: “The consumerization of energy is just beginning, and it represents a profound shift in the way we power society.” (Greentech Media)

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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