COAL:
• A federal review finds a “a forty-year life span, maximum” for Powder River coal mining, upending conventional narratives that U.S. coal reserves will last for centuries. (Associated Press)
• Critics worry that Peabody Energy won’t be able to meet its responsibility to clean up Illinois Basin mines as its coal business declines, potentially leaving the costs to taxpayers. (Midwest Energy News)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Opponents file briefs with the U.S. Court of Appeals in the high-stakes case, claiming the federal rules usurp state authority. (EnergyWire)
• Nuclear industry supporters lament the Supreme Court’s delay of the Clean Power Plan. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
CLIMATE:
• EPA data show U.S. emissions increased less than 1 percent in 2014. (The Hill)
• A new study finds the past century’s sea level rise is unprecedented over the past 3,000 years. (Climate Central)
• Speculation grows about who will be the next United Nations climate chief to set in motion the Paris agreement. (ClimateWire)
• Regional offices in California prepare for local impacts from climate change. (Los Angeles Times)
• A new study finds greenhouse gas reductions could prevent 295,000 premature deaths in the U.S. by 2030. (The Guardian)
RENEWABLES: An analysis finds recently extended tax credits will lead to as much as 53 GW of new clean energy capacity by 2020. (The Hill)
COURTS: The U.S. Supreme Court this week will hear its first high-profile energy case without Justice Antonin Scalia. (Greenwire)
EFFICIENCY:
• JP Morgan Chase and Current team up for what is thought to be the world’s largest LED lighting upgrade. (Greentech Media)
• How a FERC ruling is complicating efforts to conserve energy in New York City. (Greentech Media)
SOLAR: Solar advocates are frustrated by new net metering limits in Pennsylvania. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
WIND:
• The developer of a proposed Maryland wind farm is seeking to bypass objections of a local zoning board. (Associated Press)
• Forest products companies in Maine seek review of petitions by local communities to opt out of fast-track wind development. (Portland Press-Herald)
FRACKING:
• Jury selection begins in a Pennsylvania case alleging groundwater pollution from fracking. (Reuters)
• Colorado activists seek a way forward for anti-fracking measures. (High Country News)
OIL AND GAS: U.S. oil exports are already shifting global politics. (Bloomberg)
ELECTRIC CARS: Massachusetts will cut rebates for electric cars that cost more than $60,000. (EV Obsession)
OVERSIGHT: A Florida judge rebukes state regulators for imposing a weak oversight plan that failed to stop groundwater pollution from a nuclear plant near Miami. (Miami Herald)
UTILITIES: Duke Energy launches its own news website to present a “balanced look on issues.” (Charlotte Business Journal)
POLITICS: A new study examines the role of political affiliation in climate change denial. (Washington Post)
COMMENTARY: The real reason the U.S. coal industry is collapsing. (Vox)