CLEAN POWER PLAN: West Virginia’s law prohibiting carbon trading as a way to comply with the Clean Power Plan is blocking an economically feasible compliance strategy, state officials say. (ClimateWire)

OIL AND GAS: Thousands of families in California are still in limbo two months after a leaking natural gas well was capped and officials said their lives would return to normal. (Associated Press)

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EFFICIENCY:
• Americans used less and wasted less energy in 2015 compared to 2014. (Utility Dive)
• A new report finds increased energy efficiency measures for low-income households would close the percentage gap between income and energy spending by about one-third. (Midwest Energy News)
New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio announces new efficiency requirements for building owners meant to help the city reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050. (Associated Press)

CLIMATE: Secretary of State John Kerry says signing the Paris climate agreement is a “turning point” in the climate “war.” (Greenwire)

WIND: Due to weaker winds, 2015 saw the smallest increase in output nationwide over the prior year since 1999. (Utility Dive)

SOLAR: Two pilots complete a three-day trip across the Pacific Ocean in a solar-powered airplane. (Associated Press)

DEFENSE: The Pentagon turns to renewable energy as a way to reduce its energy use. (The Hill)

CALIFORNIA: State lawmakers want the state’s powerful Air Resources Board to have a stronger focus on low-income areas. (Los Angeles Times)

STORAGE: Filings show Tesla plans to sell six times the amount of energy-storage systems to SolarCity than it did in 2015. (Greentech Media)

TRANSPORTATION: The U.S. Senate votes to reauthorize $1.6 billion for a controversial loan program for makers of advanced-technology vehicles. (Auto Blog)

FRACKING:
• For some Democratic voters, Tuesday’s primary election in Pennsylvania will be a “mini-referendum on the future of the state’s downtrodden fracking industry.” (Reuters)
• States should use severance taxes for diversifying their economies, new reports say. (The Dominion Post)

FINANCE: In the wake of SunEdison’s bankruptcy, experts say renewable energy companies can still be profitable, but it will take finding investment strategies that work. (New York Times)

COAL:
• A federal agency is expected to decide this week whether a planned $700 million coal-export terminal in Washington state would violate tribal fishing rights. (Associated Press)
• West Virginia opposes bankrupt Alpha Natural Resources’ plan over how the sale of its core assets undermines a projected $1 billion cleanup obligation. (Reuters)
• The race over how to replace coal in Appalachia with other economic drivers draws heightened interest. (Associated Press)

NUCLEAR: Critics say proposed federal legislation to reform nuclear reactor licensing would ultimately handcuff federal regulators. (E&E Daily)

POLITICS: Energy issues will play a key role in at least five U.S. Senate races that could determine control of the chamber next year. (The Hill)

VOLKSWAGEN SCANDAL: The German automaker reports that it lost $6.2 billion last year as a result of cheating on diesel emissions reporting. (New York Times)

COMMENTARY:
• Congress is “throwing good money after bad” with continued funding for developing “clean coal” technology. (U.S. News & World Report)
Putting a price on carbon will not be the end-all be-all for tackling climate change. (Vox)

Andy compiles the Midwest Energy News digest and was a journalism fellow for Midwest Energy News from 2014-2020. He is managing editor of MiBiz in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was formerly a reporter and editor at City Pulse, Lansing’s alternative newsweekly.

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