UTILITIES: A California case is part of a broader pattern of utilities across the U.S. seeking to pass the costs of their mistakes onto customers instead of shareholders. (New York Times)
BIOFUELS: Conservative Midwest politicians are increasingly turning on EPA chief Scott Pruitt for weakening ethanol mandates. (Politico)
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POLLUTION: U.S. district court judges in Maryland and New York say the EPA must force five upwind states to limit smog pollution to comply with a Clean Air Act provision. (The Hill)
TRANSMISSION: Central Maine Power signs a contract with Massachusetts electricity distributors that sets prices for a proposed $950 million transmission line to deliver hydropower from Canada to New England. (Bangor Daily News)
SOLAR: Georgia-based Suniva has been released from bankruptcy and plans to “restart operations as soon as possible.” (Greentech Media)
WIND:
• Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signs into law a bill designed to protect military airspace from wind turbines; although during a similar debate in North Carolina, military officials have said additional safeguards aren’t needed. (Enid News & Eagle, Southeast Energy News archive)
• A conservative think tank is behind an advertising campaign attacking wind energy in Minnesota. (City Pages)
PIPELINES:
• A Democratic FERC commissioner says she will continue to consider climate impacts in pipeline cases. (Utility Dive)
• The South Dakota Supreme Court dismisses an appeal from opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline. (Associated Press)
OIL AND GAS: A federal court in New Mexico rebuked the Bureau of Land Management for failing to consider certain climate impacts, putting a temporary stop to a plan to drill in the Santa Fe National Forest. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
OFFSHORE DRILLING:
• New Jersey lawmakers push back on House Republicans’ plans to penalize New Jersey and other states for opposing oil and gas drilling off their shores. (NJ.com)
• The governors of five states ask Congress to reject a plan to impose heavy fees on states that oppose offshore drilling. (The News & Observer)
TECHNOLOGY: An Illinois nonprofit launches a mobile notification system that allows customers without smartphones to access programs that manage home energy use. (Midwest Energy News)
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COAL: A former coal miner is working to convert former mountaintop removal sites in West Virginia into farmland. (Yale Climate Connections)
COMMENTARY: The struggling nuclear energy industry likely won’t survive without a government handout, one industry expert says. (FiveThirtyEight)