CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• North Dakota’s coal industry and top elected officials praise the Supreme Court’s decision to block the rules, and the state will suspend work on a compliance plan. (Bismarck Tribune)
• The Supreme Court’s decision could undermine last year’s negotiations in Paris. (Grist)
• Some legal experts say the Supreme Court “opened a door” in which future regulations could be blocked before fully taking effect. (Greenwire)
• States vary on whether to halt or continue planning their compliance strategies. (EnergyWire)
• A national utility trade group says the Supreme Court ruling “doesn’t really change anything” as utilities will continue to shift to natural gas and renewables. (RTO Insider)
RENEWABLES: Corporations in Michigan seek to overcome policy barriers as they meet companywide goals to run on more renewable energy. (Midwest Energy News)
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SOLAR:
• An advocacy group projects Minnesota’s solar workforce will grow by 20 percent this year. (WCCO-TV)
• Despite the extension of federal tax credits last year, losses by rooftop solar companies have accelerated. (New York Times)
• The first national trade association for community solar in the U.S. launched earlier this week. (Utility Dive)
UTILITIES: FirstEnergy and Dynegy attack each other in a Twitter feud. (Columbus Business First)
EMISSIONS: Wisconsin lawmakers propose a bill that would relax the state’s sulfur dioxide emissions. (Associated Press)
PIPELINES: South Dakota lawmakers reject a bill that would have prevented state regulators from issuing permits for pipeline projects before federal approval. (Rapid City Journal)
EFFICIENCY: A new report says an “all hands on deck” approach to energy efficiency could meet 30 percent of the nation’s electricity system needs in 10 years. (Utility Dive)
BUDGET: It’s still unclear what the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Clean Power Plan will mean for President Obama’s climate-focused budget proposal. (ClimateWire)
BIOFUELS: Regardless of the policy future of the Renewable Fuel Standard, gasoline companies would still blend fuels with ethanol anyway. (National Public Radio)
COAL:
• The industry’s decline will continue to happen due to market forces beyond the Clean Power Plan. (Slate)
• While criticizing President Obama’s regulations on coal-fired power plants, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell “blocked efforts to rescue health and pension funds on which thousands of retired and disabled miners rely.” (Washington Post)
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FINANCING: A beer distributor in southeast Michigan uses Property Assessed Clean Energy financing to build a 16,000-square-foot solar array. (MLive)
COMMENTARY: Despite this week’s Supreme Court ruling on the Clean Power Plan, the U.S. must continue on a path toward clean energy. (Los Angeles Times)