ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The Obama administration launches an initiative to install nearly 25,000 miles of electric vehicle charging corridors on U.S. highways in 35 states. (Washington Post)
SOLAR:
• Utility-scale solar, rather than rooftop installations, has increased the “duck curve” effect in California. (Greentech Media)
• A group at N.C. State University is trying to lower energy prices in rural areas across the state with the help of a $1 million grant from the Department of Energy. (Triangle Business Journal)
• Two pro-solar groups are appealing a district court ruling in Nevada that upholds lower net-metering rates for customers. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• A “self-supply” solar program created to replace net metering is taking off in Hawaii. (Pacific Business News)
• A Florida solar advocate explains why she’s opposed to a controversial solar amendment in the state. (Southeast Energy News)
***SPONSORED LINK: MnSEIA Midwest Gateway to Solar, November 15-16 in Minneapolis, brings together leading solar industry practitioners to explore future market possibilities and challenges. Register today! ***
UTILITIES: The North Carolina Utilities Commission says it’s appropriate for Duke Energy to test how new solar projects may disrupt power supplies across its system. (Charlotte Business Journal)
INFRASTRUCTURE:
• The federal government is loaning $3.6 billion to fund rural electric projects in 31 states, including more than $200 million for smart grid technologies and $35 million towards renewable energy. (Utility Dive)
• A lack of high-speed Internet access in rural communities provides challenges for rural electric cooperatives in Illinois. (Midwest Energy News)
STORAGE: Mercedes-Benz is launching a new company to develop residential batteries in the U.S. (Greentech Media)
NUCLEAR: As nuclear power plants retire early, more than 76,000 metric tons of nuclear waste is left behind at dozens of commercial sites. (Bloomberg)
CLIMATE: Lawyers for ExxonMobil tell independent groups to preserve all communications related to an ongoing investigation into what the company knew about climate change. (Washington Post)
CARBON TAX: Campaigns fighting for and against a ballot measure to create the nation’s first carbon tax in Washington state receive a last-minute influx of funding. (Seattle Times)
COAL:
• Native Americans in Montana are protesting a deal that will lower their per capita share of profits from coal mined on tribal lands from about $210 to $22.10. (Billings Gazette)
• The coal industry sees carbon capture and storage as a politically feasible solution under a Hillary Clinton presidency. (Reuters)
OIL & GAS: A proposed fine for rail cars transporting crude oil and uncovered coal through a city in Washington state violates at least one federal law, according to an independent legal review. (Spokesman-Review)
PIPELINES:
• Dakota Access pipeline protests draw scrutiny to a federal fast-track approval process; a 2013 project in Illinois raised similar questions. (Greenwire, Midwest Energy News archive)
• A government official in North Dakota says recent statements by President Obama allow Dakota Access Pipeline protesters to “keep escalating their violent activities.”(The Guardian)
• North Dakota officers use pepper-spray and rubber bullets on Dakota Access Pipeline protesters who were crossing water to reach federal land. (ThinkProgress)
POLLUTION: Oil and gas production could pollute the springs that feed a popular swimming hole in West Texas’ Balmorhea State Park, according to a report by an environmental group. (FuelFix)
COMMENTARY: Offshore wind could be one of the best ways to wean the U.S. off fossil fuels, but not everyone is on board. (Gizmodo)