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)