‘Just say no’ Clean Power Plan strategy appears to be crumbling

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Since the final rules were announced in August, the ​“just say no” approach to complying has ​“slowly and quietly receded.” (Greenwire)
• An EPA administrator becomes the public face of the agency, traveling the country to build support for the federal rules. (EnergyWire)

RENEWABLES: Federal regulators say 60 percent of new electricity generation this year came from renewables. (Utility Dive)

RPS: Researchers in Michigan are fighting back against an out-of-state organization that has been publishing what critics call erroneous renewable portfolio standard reports in several states trying to influence policy. (Midwest Energy News)

SOLAR: In a major expansion to its commitment to solar, Minnesota looks to offset 30 percent of the power used at various state-owned facilities through community solar contracts. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

CARBON:
• Governments around the world will raise $22 billion this year by putting a price on carbon through taxes or trading systems. (Reuters)
• Massachusetts joins five others states with proposed legislation to put a price on carbon. (Inside Climate News)

OIL AND GAS:
• A major producer quits the North Dakota oil patch after posting a quarterly loss of $2.6 billion. (Reuters)
• Three major U.S. oil exploration companies prepare for another year of spending cuts as the slump in energy markets shows no signs of abating. (Bloomberg News)

CLIMATE CHANGE: The backstory of two investigations into Exxon Mobil’s history of climate change research. (ClimateWire)

MERGER:
• D.C. regulators agree to reconsider the proposed merger between Pepco and Chicago-based Exelon after new terms were announced. (RTO Insider)
• An exclusive letter obtained shows seven of 13 members of the D.C. Public Service Commission support the merger. (Utility Dive)

POLITICS: South Carolina’s Lindsay Graham: Accepting climate science doesn’t make me a Democrat. (Think Progress)

PIPELINES: Researchers look at gas pipeline infrastructure across the country to find faulty systems leaking methane. (Chemical & Engineering News)

2010 GULF OIL SPILL: Federal court records show all five Gulf of Mexico states have reached a settlement with drilling rig owner Transocean. (Associated Press)

ETHANOL:
• The oil industry is launching an ad campaign against the federal ethanol mandate. (The Hill)
• The federal government will spend $100 million to help install 5,000 additional ethanol fuel pumps in 21 states. (KCCI-TV)

COMMENTARY: President Obama can’t lobby world leaders in Paris on a climate deal ​“in good faith” based on his weakening of renewable fuel standards in the U.S. (Huffington Post)