PIPELINES: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denies a permit for the Dakota Access pipeline to cross under a section of the Missouri River, handing “a smashing victory” to thousands of indigenous activists. (Los Angeles Times/Huffington Post)
ALSO:
• Sen. Bernie Sanders praises President Obama for “listening to the Native American people” and blocking construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. (The Hill)
• The company behind the project says the Obama administration “has abandoned the rule of law” with the decision. (The Verge)
• Military veterans join pipeline protesters in North Dakota. (Reuters)
• North Dakota emergency officials pledge to help protesters who are in danger of freezing, saying “we are going to be humane.” (The Hill)
• Landowners in North Carolina are fighting an eminent domain battle to keep a pipeline from crossing their properties. (Southeast Energy News)
• A proposed natural gas pipeline between Ohio and Michigan would pose a minimal environmental threat, according to a federal environmental assessment. (Detroit News)
OIL & GAS:
• U.S. oil exports have increased more than 1,000 percent since 2009, according to a report from the Department of Energy. (Climate Central)
• The country’s first landfill-to-natural gas plant will be constructed in Mississippi. (Mississippi Today)
• The cost of a June oil train derailment in Oregon has reached nearly $9 million so far. (Associated Press)
• A $2.2 billion gas-fired power plant is likely to be built in California thanks to a ruling by an appeals court, dealing a blow to environmental advocates. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
COAL:
• After filing for bankruptcy earlier this year, coal giant Peabody Energy will seek court approval to repay a $500 million loan early due to improving coal prices. (Reuters)
• President-elect Donald Trump supports “clean coal,” but the costs may make the technology unfeasible. (The Guardian)
POLLUTION: Environmentalists agree to settle a case over alleged stream pollution stemming from a former mountaintop-removal coal mine in West Virginia. (Associated Press)
SOLAR: Utah’s only investor-owned utility is proposing fixed charges on rooftop solar panel owners that could “sink the ship” for solar in the state. (ClimateWire)
CLIMATE: Former vice president Al Gore says U.S. companies and states will continue cutting emissions during Donald Trump’s presidency, which “will almost guarantee” that the country reaches its emissions-reduction targets. (Reuters)
POLITICS:
• Clean energy entrepreneur Elon Musk is facing a barrage of attacks from right-wing groups. (The Guardian)
• Donald Trump is bringing the leader of a fringe anti-clean-energy group to the center of power at the Energy Department. (Los Angeles Times)
POLICY: Clean energy advocates are applauding the passage of an energy bill that will allow two Illinois nuclear plants to remain in operation. (Greentech Media)
GRID: A battle over a project that would transmit wind energy from Iowa to Illinois goes to the Illinois Supreme Court. (Chicago Tribune)
UTILITIES:
• Charlotte-based Duke Energy wants to delay plans for a 21-megawatt combined heat-and-power plant at Duke University following protests from students and faculty. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• An Ohio utility asks state regulators to approve an Electric Security Plan extension that will allow it to invest in renewable energy, microgrids and electric vehicle charging. (Utility Dive)
NUCLEAR: Michigan’s three nuclear plants appear to be on solid financial footing, but the outlook may shift by 2022. (Midwest Energy News)
COMMENTARY: A Donald Trump presidency could help modernize coal plants. (Forbes)