COAL: A state environmental review board approves Wyoming’s first major coal mine in decades, with groundbreaking set to begin early next year. (Associated Press)
OIL & GAS:
• The Pennsylvania Supreme Court strikes down part of a 2012 law that provided “a unique set of benefits for the gas drilling industry.” (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
• U.S. oil refineries are threatening parts of the Amazon by importing some 230,000 barrels of crude per day from the region, with the majority going to California refineries, according to a recent study. (The Guardian)
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FRACKING: The man who invented fracking stumbled upon the process by injecting water into wells instead of gel to save money. (NPR)
PIPELINES:
• Leaders of the Pennsylvania oil and gas industry say the state’s 60,000 miles of pipeline is not enough to keep up with gas production. (Pittsburgh Business Times)
• More than 20 people protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline were arrested at two construction sites in North Dakota for trespassing and possessing stolen property, among other charges. (Associated Press)
ADVOCACY:
• The EPA’s Office of Civil Rights has “never made a formal finding of discrimination” despite receiving hundreds of complaints, according to a new report on the agency’s “long history” of inadequately enforcing its anti-discrimination policies. (Mother Jones)
• The policy director for an environmental justice group in Detroit talks about the importance of clean energy development in economically and environmentally challenged urban areas. (Midwest Energy News)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: Many say the EPA came out ahead during oral arguments over the Clean Power Plan on Tuesday, but both sides are predicting victory. (ClimateWire/The Hill)
ENERGY STORAGE: California’s governor signs four new bills to grow behind-the-meter and utility-scale energy storage markets. (Renewable Energy World)
SOLAR:
• One of Southern California’s largest residential solar installers files for bankruptcy and announces plans to cut more than 80 jobs. (L.A. Biz)
• A 15-megawatt community solar installation in Nevada will power 2,500 homes and decrease prices for ratepayers. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• The publisher of the Farmers’ Almanac is spending $12 million to upgrade its offices in Maine with a vast solar array. (Portland Press Herald)
• A new platform for large-scale solar projects uses drones and robots to optimize performance. (Greentech Media)
BIOFUEL: Increased demand for biofuels could threaten wildlife habitats as forests are cut down for wood pellets, according to a new study. (Coastal Review Online)
TRANSPORTATION: San Antonio’s public transit system will switch out 135 aging buses with vehicles that run on natural gas. (San Antonio Business Journal)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Volkswagen says it will release an electric car in 2020 that can travel up to 373 miles on a single charge and includes a fully autonomous driving system for under $30,000. (CNET)
RENEWABLE ENERGY: Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz says the clean energy revolution is “happening now,” following the release of a Department of Energy study that found the cost of clean energy technologies has declined between 40 percent and 94 percent since 2008. (The Hill)
COMMENTARY: Opponents of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan have weak arguments that make no sense. (Washington Post)