U.N. leader: Double clean energy investments by 2020

CLIMATE: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calls on global investment leaders at a summit in New York to at least double their climate-related investments within the next five years. (International Business Times)

WIND:
• The U.S. wind industry ended 2015 with its second-best quarter ever, with an average of nearly 12 turbines coming online each day. (Forbes)
• Iowa moves ahead of California to become the No. 2 wind state in the nation. (Radio Iowa)
• Oklahoma’s tax incentive program for wind development is paying out millions more than officials expected. (Norman Transcript)
• New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoes a bill that called for state regulators to reconsider applications for smaller offshore wind projects. (Utility Dive)

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SOLAR:
• California regulators will decide today whether to stick with a net metering policy that has allowed the industry to flourish or to scale it back and make it more expensive. (Reuters)
• A bill to extend state tax credits for residential solar systems moves forward in New Mexico. (Santa Fe New Mexican)

NATURAL GAS: Local regulators are suing the utility responsible for the ongoing leak from a California natural gas storage site for millions in penalties. (National Public Radio)

CONGRESS:
• Key lawmakers from both parties are optimistic that a sweeping, bipartisan energy bill will move through the Senate without a drawn-out amendment process. (E&E Daily)
• However, some Republicans are planning to push back against the administration, including a plan to halt a moratorium on federal coal-mine leases. (The Hill)

OIL AND GAS: New statewide setback requirements for oil and gas drilling rigs in Colorado could limit production and cost up to 62,000 jobs, a study says. (Denver Business Journal)

COAL:
• Analysts say coal bankruptcies are unlikely to resolve the nation’s supply glut.(Bloomberg)
• At an industry gathering, Murray Energy CEO Robert Murray says taxes should be raised on tobacco, alcohol and natural gas to fund tax breaks for the coal industry. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• The share of U.S. electricity generated from coal reached its lowest point ever in November. (Bloomberg)
• Federal lease reviews for coal-mining projects in the Powder River Basin move forward but won’t be finalized under the recent moratorium. (Associated Press)

EFFICIENCY: The Archdiocese of Chicago is among the leading entities in the city taking aggressive steps to make its numerous buildings more efficient. (Midwest Energy News)

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Opponents say that if the U.S. Supreme Court doesn’t halt the rules, states will be forced to comply and a lawsuit challenging the merits of the plan could prove irrelevant. (Greenwire)
• Observers say appealing to the Supreme Court for a stay is an ​“extraordinary move.” (EnergyWire)
• An electric cooperative representing 140 small, rural co-ops says it will cost $5 billion to comply with the Clean Power Plan. (Billings Gazette)

OFFSHORE DRILLING: Actors Kate Walsh, Ted Danson and Sam Waterston join a summit in Washington D.C. to oppose offshore drilling in the Atlantic. (McClatchy)

UTILITIES: In a new survey, utility officials and regulators agree they need to work together to protect revenue streams as distributed energy systems grow, though they differ in ​“approach and focus.” (Utility Dive)

COMMENTARY:
• The number of home energy upgrades is decreasing due to a combination of inconvenience and poor access to upfront capital. (Rocky Mountain Institute)
• Extending federal tax credits for wind and solar was a ​“very, very big deal.” (Vox)