Trump signs order aimed at cutting regulations

REGULATION:
• President Trump signs an executive order requiring agencies to eliminate at least two regulations for each new regulation added. (Washington Post)
• By filling 114 vacant federal judge positions, President Trump could make it harder for future administrations to pass new climate rules and environmental regulations. (Climate Central)

POLITICS: Senators will vote today on whether to approve Rep. Ryan Zinke for interior secretary and former Texas governor Rick Perry for energy secretary. (The Hill)

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CLIMATE:
• Scientists at national laboratories are worried that their climate change research may be under threat from the Trump administration. (Climatewire)
• A trial begins for a climate change activist who faces up to three decades in prison for participating in a protest last October that shut down a crude oil pipeline in Washington. (Reuters)
• A Trump adviser says he expects the president to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, calling the environmental movement ​“the greatest threat to freedom and prosperity in the modern world.” (The Guardian)

SOLAR:
• A ​“buy all, sell all” proposal in Indiana would give rooftop solar customers the worst deal in the country. (Midwest Energy News)
• A pair of bills in Nebraska would support community solar projects by offering developers roughly $16 million in annual grants from the state’s lottery proceeds, while mandating that utilities allow projects initiated by their customers. (Midwest Energy News)
• A San Antonio utility is renewing its rooftop solar rebate program, setting aside $9 million for residential projects and $6 million for commercial projects. (San Antonio Business Journal)
• A California-based solar company files a formal complaint against Duke Energy, alleging the company is violating federal and state law by refusing long-term power-purchase agreements for utility-scale solar projects. (Charlotte Business Journal)

STORAGE: A massive energy storage facility featuring nearly 400 Tesla PowerPack batteries comes online in Southern California. (Los Angeles Times)

COAL: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduces legislation to block a rule that protects waterways from coal mining pollution, calling the regulation ​“an attack on coal families.” (The Hill)

PIPELINES:
• Environmental activists and Native Americans are promising to block the construction of a $900 million oil pipeline in Oklahoma, saying the project might disturb ancestral graves. (The Oklahoman)
• With a pending shortage of commissioners on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, several energy firms are asking the agency to decide this week on proposed natural gas pipelines. (Reuters)
• A government lawyer says it’s unclear when the Army Corps of Engineers could issue a construction easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline, as ordered by President Trump. (The Hill)
• The Rhode Island House Minority Leader sends a letter to President Trump asking him to revive a stalled natural gas pipeline project. (Associated Press)
• Native Americans and environmental activists say they plan to create camps along the Keystone XL pipeline route and fight the project ​“every step of the way.” (Common Dreams)

POLLUTION: A Texas oil pipeline ruptures and spills after a contractor accidentally cuts a high pressure oil line. (Reuters)

COMMENTARY: Los Angeles should implement a buffer zone law to protect its residents from oil well pollution, says the New York Times editorial board.