CONGRESS: The U.S. House and Senate “still have miles to go” in reconciling differences in the versions of energy bills passed out of each chamber. (E&E Daily)
UTILITIES:
• A Vermont utility is seeking energy entrepreneurs to co-locate at its headquarters. (Renewable Energy World)
• The Sierra Club sues to block an Arizona utility’s plan to convert a coal plant to natural gas, saying as planned the plant’s operations would result in higher emissions. (Arizona Republic)
***SPONSORED LINK: The 2016 Midwest Solar Expo, May 17-19 in Minnesota, is now co-located with the inaugural Midwest Energy Storage Symposium (May 19 only). Join the conversation on building robust energy storage markets across the Midwest and practical business applications for solar companies. Register today!***
CLIMATE: Not all climate activists are on board with a Washington state ballot measure that would establish a carbon tax. (Climate Central)
COAL:
• Coal companies haven’t given up on export projects. (Greenwire)
• Arch Coal’s bankruptcy prompts a federal agency to reject a proposed $405 million rail project in southeast Montana. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• Environmental groups sue to require West Virginia to treat water pollution from bankrupt coal mines. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
• Murray Energy claims that an update to federal stream-protection rules would effectively end underground coal mining in the U.S. (Midwest Energy News)
• Ratepayers of Southern Company’s utilities may be on the hook for more of the rising costs of building its Kemper “clean coal” power plant in Mississippi. (Associated Press)
• The Bureau of Land Management will hold six public meetings starting next month to examine the federal coal leasing program. (Farmington Daily Times)
OIL AND GAS: Six years later, a new study shows the ecological toll of the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to grow. (Washington Post)
PIPELINES: Consumers advocates in Michigan say a utility’s plan to help develop a natural gas pipeline from Ohio would be a bad deal for its ratepayers and potentially violate a state code. (Midwest Energy News)
SOLAR:
• At its annual shareholders meeting, an Ohio utility says it wants to be a leader in solar development in the state, but would rather see it grow at utility scale rather than on rooftops. (Columbus Dispatch)
• Net metering supporters rallied at the Arizona capitol this week. (Arizona Republic)
WIND: The U.S. Senate passes an amendment that would increase funding for wind energy research. (The Hill)
POLITICS:
• A Republican donor from North Carolina says he will spend seven figures on a digital ad campaign to help re-elect to conservative senators, including Ohio’s Rob Portman, based on clean energy issues. (Reuters)
• How San Diego’s clean energy push could become a model for bipartisan action on climate change. (Guardian)
• Activists step up their efforts to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate disclosures. (InsideClimate news)
POLLUTION: Kentucky investigators rule out fracking as the cause of a polluted creek highlighted by environmental activist Erin Brockovich. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
GRID: Colorado grapples with the high energy demand from indoor marijuana growing operations. (ClimateWire)