Texas breaks daily record for wind energy

WIND: Texas wind farms generated more than 15,000 megawatts of electricity on Sunday, breaking the state’s daily record for wind power. (Greentech Media)

POLITICS: Donald Trump’s energy policy advisers are climate change skeptics with ties to the oil industry. (Washington Post)

SOLAR: Power purchase agreements with shorter terms and increasingly low prices make developers overly dependent on the residual value of solar projects. (PV Magazine)

NUCLEAR: California’s largest utility agrees to pay $85 million to provide economic support to communities affected by the closure of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. (Associated Press)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: California-based Lucid Motors plans to build a $700 million plant in Arizona to manufacture electric luxury sedans. (Arizona Republic)

BIOFUEL: The federal ethanol mandate will probably fail to meet its original greenhouse gas reduction goals, according to a pair of government reports. (The Hill)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: With Donald Trump likely to scrap the Clean Power Plan, conservative state lawmakers are meeting to re-evaluate the need for renewable portfolio standards. (E&E Publishing)

POLICY:
• Clean energy proponents are urging Congress to extend a series of renewable energy tax credits before Donald Trump takes office. (Morning Consult)
• A sweeping Illinois energy bill that would subsidize two troubled nuclear plants could become law this week. (Midwest Energy News)

UTILITIES: A California Public Utilities Commissioner talks about the clean energy progress made during his six-year term, calling it ​“a wild ride.” (Greentech Media)

GRID: Internet-enabled technology is reshaping the electrical grid and helping utilities improve reliability. (Midwest Energy News)

COAL:
• Alpha Natural Resources settles a lawsuit filed by West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection, alleging the coal company concealed $100 million in outstanding debts. (Associated Press)
• The EPA says it plans to withdraw a regional haze rule that would limit pollution from seven coal-fired power plants in Texas. (FuelFix)
• Decreasing emissions from coal-fired power plants coincided with a 20 percent decrease in the amount of methylmercury in tuna, according to an analysis of fish caught in the Gulf of Maine between 2004 and 2012. (Washington Post)
• Retired union coal miners weigh in on the possibility of losing their health coverage due to inaction in Congress, saying ​“it’s going to be rough on a lot of people.” (Washington Post)

PIPELINES:
• North Dakota’s court system is facing cost overruns and workforce shortages due to hundreds of arrests made during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. (Associated Press)
• A state lawmaker in Utah files a resolution calling for a halt of construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline, saying ​“the recent events at Standing Rock are unconscionable.” (Deseret News)
• Pipeline protesters who were injured in a clash with law enforcement are filing a class action lawsuit against a county sheriff in North Dakota. (The Intercept)
• State officials in North Dakota say they won’t block supplies from reaching Dakota Access Pipeline protesters, but they will fine people who bring prohibited items into the camp. (Reuters)

POLLUTION: Overlooked oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico may be affecting the environment. (WWL-TV)

COMMENTARY:
• Donald Trump’s proposed climate policies could lead to millions of deaths from climate-worsened storms, malnutrition, disease, air pollution and heat stress. (Quartz)
• The Dakota Access Pipeline won’t help the U.S. economy or increase energy independence, but it will earn Energy Transfer Partners about $1.37 billion per year. (High Country News)
• Researchers say the country might outperform its Paris climate commitments, even under a Donald Trump presidency. (New York Times)
• ​“The rise of clean energy across the heartland is already too well entrenched to be reversed.” (New York Times)