COAL: Utilities vote to close a coal-fired power plant in Arizona that is considered one of the biggest polluters in the nation. (Arizona Republic)
ALSO:
• The maintenance chief at a coal mine in western Kentucky is indicted for falsifying a safety record and lying to federal inspectors. (Associated Press)
• Two companies behind a proposed coal-export terminal in Washington are appealing the state’s decision to deny an aquatic lands sublease needed to complete the project, saying the move infringes on their property rights. (Associated Press)
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PIPELINES:
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau affirms Canada’s commitment to building the Keystone XL pipeline after a meeting with President Trump, saying the two nations will collaborate “on energy infrastructure projects that will create jobs while respecting the environment.” (E&E News)
• A federal judge denies a request from two Native American tribes to halt construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline, but promises to revisit the issue before oil begins pumping through the pipeline. (Washington Post)
NUCLEAR: Toshiba unveils a $6 billion loss linked to bad investments in the American nuclear energy company Westinghouse Electric. (New York Times)
BIOFUEL: Senate Democrats are investigating whether Carl Icahn – an adviser to President Trump and an investor in fuel refiner CVR Energy – is using his role to steer ethanol policies in his favor. (The Hill)
EFFICIENCY: Eight years after Virginia passed a law allowing PACE financing, the first local program is finally about to get underway. (Southeast Energy News)
RENEWABLE ENERGY: A group of 20 Republican and Democratic governors send a letter urging President Trump to increase federal funding to support renewable energy and modernize local power grids. (Bloomberg)
SOLAR:
• Solar advocates in Florida are encouraging residents to band together to form solar cooperatives. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
• A 50 megawatt solar power plant goes online in Nevada, increasing the size of NV Energy’s solar portfolio to 550 megawatts. (Nexstar)
• An industry expert shows what it would take for residential solar installers to profit from solar priced at $2.50 per watt. (Greentech Media)
• Schools in Attleboro, Massachusetts, will save up to $100,000 a year thanks to the largest rooftop solar project in the state. (Sun Chronicle)
• Iowa advocates are concerned about a utility’s distributed generation pilot program they believe would limit the amount of energy solar customers are allowed to offset on their electricity bill. (Midwest Energy News)
CLIMATE:
• If the Trump administration withdraws from the Paris climate agreement it could face a complicated legal battle under domestic and international law, according to a new report. (Greenwire)
• A House science committee has become a key weapon for opponents of climate action. (ClimateWire)
REGULATION:
• Republicans in Congress are trying to repeal more than a dozen rules in an effort to loosen regulations on energy development on public lands. (Energywire)
• Federal employees who spent years working on Obama-era regulations say the recent repeals by Congress are “devastating.” (Politico)
COMMENTARY: Why environmentalists should reach out to Republicans. (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star)