CORRECTION: An article linked in yesterday’s digest incorrectly stated that Minnesota was halfway to meeting its emissions reduction goal. The report cited in the article was specifically for state government facilities.
OIL & GAS: The West Texas oil boom is worsening air pollution and climate change and causing spikes in traffic accidents, rent and homelessness. (Texas Tribune)
ALSO:
• As the Trump administration rolls back rules for methane emissions, Wyoming proposes its own regulations, which some oil and gas companies support. (National Public Radio)
• New Jersey sues the U.S. Department of the Interior for refusing to explain why it exempted Florida and not New Jersey from a Trump administration plan to expand offshore drilling. (Tribune News Service)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A coalition of environmental advocates and local businesses want Boston to electrify its public transit system. (Energy News Network)
• A U.S. Senator from Wyoming introduces legislation to end the $7,500 tax incentive for electric vehicles and create a highway user fee for drivers of alternative fuel vehicles. (Roll Call)
• One million electric vehicles have been sold in the United States, a small but significant milestone toward decarbonizing the transportation sector. (E&E News, subscription)
WIND:
• The future of a massive wind farm planned for New Mexico depends on whether regulators approve the route of a transmission project. (RTO Insider)
• Connecticut officials ramp up efforts on offshore wind energy now that the technology has matured and prices have come down. (Energy News Network)
SOLAR:
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces $40 million in funding to support commercial and industrial solar-plus-storage projects. (Energy Storage News)
• At least 35 programs nationwide have been created to try to provide affordable solar power to low-income residents. (OZY)
GRID: California regulators order the state’s investor-owned utilities to once again share grid maps with distributed energy providers. (Greentech Media)
BIOFUELS:
• Skeptics say President Trump’s plan to boost ethanol sales won’t have much impact on the industry or farmers since E15 sales are fairly small. (Minnesota Public Radio)
• University of Michigan researchers receive federal grant funding to separate oil from algae to create a viable diesel fuel blend. (Detroit Free Press)
HURRICANE MICHAEL:
• Hundreds of thousands of people are without power after Hurricane Michael, the strongest storm to ever hit the Florida panhandle, made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. (Orlando Sentinel)
• Gulf Power and Duke Energy are more vulnerable during this storm than they were during Hurricane Irma last year. (Utility Dive)
• The city of Coral Gables, Florida uses microgrids and smart technology to prepare for hurricanes. (Smart Cities Dive)
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CLIMATE: Local officials in Wisconsin say the latest United Nations report on climate change underscores the need for local action on clean energy. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
COMMENTARY:
• An Appalachian documentarian wrestles with the question: “If we can’t mine coal, what are we going to do?” (Huffington Post)
• A local battle over a proposed solar farm in Massachusetts is emblematic of the environmental trade-offs that go along with solar adoption, says a columnist. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)