Three new states consider supports for nuclear plants

POLICY: Ohio Republicans introduce a bill to make the state’s renewable energy standards voluntary instead of mandatory. (Columbus Business First)

ALSO:
• Upheaval in the nuclear, coal and natural gas industries is prompting lawmakers to take action, with three new states considering nuclear supports. (Utility Dive)
• The chief of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality talks about his vision for the agency. (Southeast Energy News)

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SOLAR: Tesla completes a 13-megawatt solar storage project in Hawaii that includes 52 megawatt-hours of batteries, allowing it to dispatch power after the sun goes down. (Bloomberg)

REGULATION:
• The Senate votes to overturn an Interior Department regulation that made federal land use planning more transparent to the public — a move critics say will give too much power to the oil and gas industry. (Washington Post)
• A U.S. senator from Washington is accusing the Trump administration of unlawfully suspending an Obama-era rule that regulated the value of fossil fuels on federal lands, saying the Interior Department lacked the authority to make the decision. (Seattle Times)

RENEWABLE ENERGY: A renewable energy tax credit has helped support over 11,000 jobs and established ​“a robust renewable energy generation sector” in New Mexico, according to a new report. (Albuquerque Business First)

STORAGE: An advanced battery startup funded by Bill Gates files for bankruptcy after spending $190 million in venture capital. (Greentech Media)

TECHNOLOGY: New technology is being used to convert waste heat from natural gas flares into electricity, dramatically reducing emissions. (San Antonio Business Journal)

OIL & GAS: A New Jersey company wants to build a new natural gas power plant on the site of a shuttered coal-fired plant in Pennsylvania. (Observer-Reporter)

POLLUTION:
• A New Mexico oil and gas regulator says a cloud of methane hanging over the Southwestern U.S. is natural and ​“has existed for at least the last 10 million years,” contradicting NASA researchers who traced the hot spot to gas wells, storage tanks, pipelines and processing plants. (Associated Press)
• Federal regulators say an oil and gas operator must permanently repair an underwater pipeline that has been leaking gas for months by May 1. (InsideClimate News)

DIVESTMENT: While it may be largely symbolic, a non-binding resolution from the Chicago City Council to divest the city’s pension funds and stocks and bonds from fossil fuels would send a powerful message, advocates say. (Midwest Energy News)

COMMENTARY:
• Companies should invest in programs to help displaced coal workers learn new skills, says an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota. (GreenBiz)
• Coal jobs are continuing to decline due to cheap natural gas and the rise of renewable energy - not regulations. (Yale Climate Connections)