COAL: Peabody Energy, the world’s largest private coal producer, files for U.S. bankruptcy protection. (Reuters)
ALSO:
• Texas tribes fight a coal mine they say is infringing on sacred sites. (Texas Tribune)
• The failure of a proposed railroad merger eases utilities’ concerns about coal delivery disruptions. (EnergyWire)
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SOLAR:
• Nevada’s PUC chair discusses the controversy surrounding the board’s recent net metering decision. (Fortune)
• Texas is seeing the lowest average cost for solar installations in the U.S. (Greentech Media)
• A New Mexico city rejects a hospital’s plan for a 12-acre solar farm. (Farmington Daily Times)
• Utilities backing a Florida ballot measure say it is intended to protect consumers. (SaintPetersBlog)
WIND:
• An industry report says wind farms generated 4.7 percent of U.S. electricity last year. (Associated Press)
• Competitive costs are increasingly why companies such as Google and Walmart are buying wind power. (Washington Post)
• A report from Wisconsin officials finds no evidence linking reported health problems to wind turbines. (Fond du Lac Reporter)
CONGRESS:
• House Republicans push to shift funding from renewable energy research to fossil fuels. (The Hill)
• The Senate drops renewable energy tax credit extensions from an FAA reauthorization bill. (The Hill)
OVERSIGHT: The EPA’s former top enforcement official worries the agency doesn’t have enough resources to catch violators. (Greenwire)
CLIMATE: Connecticut’s governor reverses course on using $22 million in funds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to balance the state budget. (New Haven Register)
PIPELINES:
• An opponent of a natural gas pipeline in Massachusetts erects a replica of Henry David Thoreau’s cabin in the project’s path. (Curbed)
• Iowa landowners file a lawsuit seeking to overturn state approval of the Dakota Access pipeline. (WHO-TV)
FRACKING: A Maryland county bans fracking, becoming the first in the state to do so. (Washington Post)
ELECTRIC CARS: A Colorado car dealer creates a niche by importing cars intended to be sold only in California. (Green Car Reports)
EFFICIENCY: Nebraska looks to improve its performance on energy efficiency by adopting a statewide Property Assessed Clean Energy financing law. (Midwest Energy News)
COMMENTARY:
• Santa Fe, New Mexico shows how small cities can address climate change and inequality at the same time. (Huffington Post)
• Ohio’s Senate race shows how climate action is gaining support in the Midwest. (Grist)