BIOFUELS: United Airlines says it will invest $30 million in a biofuels company to reduce its vulnerability to oil-price shocks and limits on carbon emissions from planes. (Associated Press)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• The U.S Supreme Court’s decision against a key EPA air pollution rule does not affect any other air or climate regulations, the agency said Tuesday. (The Hill)
• Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling on EPA toxic emissions limits for power plants provided no guidance on critic’s assertion that the Clean Power Plan exceeds EPA authority. (Greenwire)
EARTHQUAKES: The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that homeowners who have sustained losses from earthquakes caused by oil and gas operations can sue for damages. (The New York Times)
NET METERING: Households and businesses with solar panels deliver greater benefits to utility companies than they receive through net metering, according to 11 case studies across the U.S. (e360 Digest)
WIND:
• A conservative billionaire wants to turn his 500-square-mile Wyoming cattle ranch into the world’s largest wind farm. (Pacific Standard)
• Duke Energy will replace the battery storage system at its massive Notrees wind farm in Texas with lithium-ion technology for better performance. (FuelFix)
ARCTIC DRILLING: The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service declined Tuesday to waive walrus protection rules in the Arctic for Shell, which could hinder the oil giant’s plans for up to six exploratory wells. (The Hill)
KEYSTONE XL: Recent Canadian action on climate change helps justify the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, a TransCanada executive said in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry this week. (The Hill)
WATER:
• As the U.S. has shifted from coal to natural gas, the amount of water needed to cool the nation’s power plants has dropped substantially. (Climate Central)
• Fracking, on average, uses more than 28 times more water than it did 15 years ago, putting farming and drinking sources at risk in arid states. (Climate Central)
FRACKING: Environmentalists Tuesday asked California’s governor to halt plans for fracking off the state’s southern coast, warning that it could lead to chemical pollution or an oil spill. (Associated Press)
COAL: After more than five years, a proposed coal mine in central Illinois remains in a holding pattern, but landowners opposed to the project have not let down their guard. (Midwest Energy News)
ROYALTIES: A Congressman from Montana has quietly proposed a budget rider that would allow some of the world’s largest coal companies to continue to dodge royalty payments to U.S. taxpayers. (ThinkProgress)
RELIGION:
• More than a dozen Catholic organizations will launch a campaign today, calling on people to make radical changes to their energy consumption and other lifestyle choices. (The Guardian)
• Anadarko’s former CEO, now a Harvard divinity student, is on a mission to become an evangelist for capitalism and responsible fossil fuel development. (Bloomberg)
COMMENTARY: Taxing carbon could improve economic efficiency and disentangle the debate over climate change from the perennial battle over the size of government. (The New York Times)