Survey: Utilities will keep abandoning coal, despite Trump’s policies

COAL: Most electric utilities have no plans to reverse their years-long shift away from coal power, according to a survey of 32 utilities that operate in states which sued to block the Clean Power Plan. (Reuters)

ALSO:
• Coal giant Peabody Energy emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and resumes trading on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reuters)
• A House committee will meet on Wednesday to consider a bill that would use federal funds to boost economic activity in coal country. (The Hill)
• A union for government employees, which includes EPA workers, calls President Trump’s anti-climate executive order an ​“assault” on community health. (Huffington Post)
• A Mississippi coal-fired power plant that’s designed to capture 65 percent of the carbon dioxide it emits will need another month and another $99 million to finish the $7.2 billion project. (Associated Press)

CARBON TAX: The White House says it isn’t considering the creation of a carbon tax, hours after a spokesperson said the opposite. (Washington Post)

CLIMATE: At least two major U.S. coal companies are asking the Trump administration to keep the country in the Paris Climate Agreement, saying it will give negotiators a chance to advocate for coal in the global energy mix. (Reuters)

SOLAR:
• The Indiana House passes a bill that would effectively eliminate residential net metering by reducing retail rates over a five-year period. (PV-Tech)
• A European solar developer is expanding into the U.S. with a plan to pair solar with storage, using a model that includes financing and operating its own solar power plants. (Greentech Media)
• Honolulu, Hawaii, has the most solar energy installations per capita in the U.S., according to a new report. (Pacific Business News)
• Solar advocates say an Iowa utility’s proposal for a new distributed-generation tariff would diminish solar in the state. (Midwest Energy News)

WIND:
• A multi-state utility based in Oregon unveils a plan to add 1,100 megawatts of new wind power capacity by the end of 2020, as part of a long-term goal to retire about 3,600 megawatts of coal-fired power plants by 2036. (Portland Business Journal, Greentech Media)
• In Iowa, wind farms are bringing a financial boost to farmers, creating new jobs and generating county tax revenue. (Mother Jones)
• A report last month shows property values in Michigan have jumped since 2008 in areas where the most wind development has taken place, and some analysts say it’s not a coincidence. (Midwest Energy News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Tesla shares reach an all-time high, surpassing Ford as the country’s second most valuable car company. (CNBC, Reuters)
• The Chief Technology Officer of Lucid Motors discusses the future of the electric car company, saying he doesn’t view their latest car as a ​“Tesla killer.” (The Motley Fool)
• Utah’s Supreme Court blocks Tesla from selling new cars in the state, citing a law that bars car manufacturers from owning dealerships. (Associated Press)

GRID: During a Senate committee hearing, the head of a North American grid operators group tells lawmakers the risk of a major cyber attack against the nation’s power grid is ​“at an all time high.” (FuelFix)

NUCLEAR: Two groups file petitions to block the implementation of an Illinois law that would give zero emission credits to two nuclear plants, alleging it would have ​“a disruptive effect on energy auctions” and raise electricity prices. (Utility Dive)

NATURAL GAS: A group of students, faculty and staff says Duke University’s proposed new campus power plant should be fueled from methane from hog waste, not natural gas. (Southeast Energy News)

COMMENTARY:
• To combat climate change, people should start talking about health, jobs and national security – not the environment – says the chair of Stanford’s Department of Earth System Science. (Scientific American)
• The Trump administration’s anti-climate executive order ignores basic science and dismisses the fact that half of Americans worry ​“a great deal” about climate change, says a Democratic strategist and CNN political commentator. (The Hill)