Senate bill seeks to end U.S. fossil fuel use by 2050

POLICY: In an effort to spark state and local action, U.S. senators introduced legislation to end the country’s fossil fuels use by 2050 by requiring vehicles to release zero carbon emissions, establishing ​“climate bonds” and barring federal pipeline approvals. (Washington Post)

ALSO:
• A Colorado senator introduces a bill that links the re-authorization of the state’s energy office to cuts in renewable energy incentives and the promotion of hydro and nuclear power. (Denver Business Journal)
• A look at five national monuments that could be opened up to developers following the outcome of an Interior Department review ordered by President Trump. (Associated Press)

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CLIMATE:
• Harvard University agrees to ​“pause” investments in some fossil fuel interests following pressure from students and environmental groups, saying climate change is a ​“huge problem.” (The Guardian)
• After a Thursday meeting to discuss the Paris climate accord, the Trump administration says it will likely reach a final decision on whether the U.S. will stay in the agreement in May. (Reuters)

ADVOCACY: With a successful fuel cell industry and numerous research institutions, Ohio has plenty of reasons to care about the Trump administration’s science policies, say protesters. (Midwest Energy News)

SOLAR:
• Over half of utility-scale solar in the U.S. utilizes tracking technology, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. (PV-Magazine)
• A bill in Maine seeks to expand community solar farms by developing 120 megawatts of new solar capacity over four years. (Portland Press Herald)

STORAGE:
• A California Senate committee passes a bill that would require utilities to create rebate programs for customers who install energy-storage systems. (PV-Magazine)
• How California procured 100 megawatts of grid-scale batteries in record time. (Energy Storage News)

TECHNOLOGY: Researchers improve on a method to produce hydrogen using solar cells instead of natural gas. (Scientific American)

COAL:
• Utilities are beginning to shut down larger and younger coal-fired power plants built after 1970. (E&E News)
• The premier of British Columbia is proposing a ban on U.S. coal exports through Canada’s west coast ports, which could hurt President Trump’s plans to revive the coal industry. (Vox)

OIL & GAS: BP discovers 200 million barrels of oil in the Gulf of Mexico using new imaging technology. (Houston Chronicle)

PIPELINES:
• Revival of the Keystone XL pipeline is again dividing Nebraskans. (New York Times)
• A proposed 303-mile pipeline that would carry fracked gas between West Virginia and Virginia is expected to receive a key approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in June. (Pittsburgh Business Times)

POLLUTION:
• How satellites were used to detect unreported oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico, which totaled about 50 times larger than official estimates. (Fast Company)
• The company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline gets more bad press after spilling drilling fluids in two pristine Ohio wetlands during the construction of a 710-mile pipeline. (Washington Post)

REGULATION: Idaho overhauls its oil and gas laws and creates a new Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. (Associated Press)

UTILITIES: Duke Energy plans to cut its carbon emissions by 40 percent compared to 2005 levels over the next 13 years, according to a new sustainability report. (Charlotte Business Journal)

COMMENTARY:
• The theme of President Trump’s first 100 days in office has been handing out favors to the fossil fuel industry, says a writer at Vox.
• Pulling out of the Paris agreement would make the U.S. a rogue nation, cost the country economically and destroy the Trump brand, says the founding editor of Climate Progress.