U.S. companies urge Trump not to back out on climate deal

CLIMATE: More than 300 companies and investors urge President-elect Trump not to back out of the Paris climate agreement, saying ​“failure to build a low-carbon economy puts American prosperity at risk.” (New York Times)

ALSO:
• How top Trump adviser Stephen Bannon drove climate conspiracies on the Breitbart News website. (InsideClimate News)
• At the Marrakech climate summit, U.S. officials unveil a plan to cut emissions 80 percent by 2050, emphasizing it is a ​“long-term vision.” (InsideClimate News)
• Climate advocacy groups report a spike in online donations following the election of Donald Trump. (Climate Central)

OIL AND GAS:
• The Interior Department cancels oil and gas leases on sacred Blackfeet land in Montana. (Washington Post)
• The U.S. Geological Survey estimates 20 billion barrels of oil are locked in a West Texas shale formation. (Dallas Morning News)
• Oil production in North Dakota continues to drop. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Insiders predict the oil and gas industry will benefit from lax EPA enforcement under a Trump administration. (Greenwire)

BIOFUELS: Oil industry executives push to keep ethanol targets below 10 percent. (Houston Chronicle)

SOLAR:
• Utility and solar groups praise a new set of guidelines for distributed energy on the grid. (Daily Energy Insider)
• A Utah lawmaker says the state’s solar tax credit is diverting $20 million from schools this year. (Deseret News)
• Officials in a Washington county reject a challenge to what will be the state’s largest solar farm. (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• While experiencing a spurt of development, large solar systems in Virginia face an uncertain future without policies to sustain growth. (Southeast Energy News)

WIND: General Motors announces a 50 MW deal with a Texas wind farm, its largest clean energy purchase to date. (Dallas Business Journal)

COAL:
• Maryland officials ask the U.S. EPA to crack down on 19 coal plants from five states whose emissions lead to air pollution farther east. (Baltimore Sun)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority says it will continue moving away from coal regardless of what happens to the Clean Power Plan. (Nashville Public Radio)

NUCLEAR: New York regulators are expected to decide today on a sale that could keep an upstate nuclear plant operating. (WBFO)

UTILITIES: At a utility regulator conference, attendees speculate on what a Trump administration means for the industry: ​“Right now, ain’t nobody knows nothing.” (Utility Dive)

EFFICIENCY:
• Securitization of property assessed clean energy financing deals have topped $400 million this month. (Greentech Media)
• Federal research grants aim to use self-driving technology to make cars more efficient. (Midwest Energy News)

COMMENTARY:
• A Utah Republican urges state regulators to not let utilities ​“snuff out the rooftop solar industry.” (Deseret News)
• Even if the Clean Power Plan is repealed, its carbon reduction cuts are already on track to be met. (The Conversation)
• ​“It is maddening and tragic to see these people put so much hope in one person, particularly when that person is clearly so unequipped to deliver on his promises.” (High Country News)
• Clean energy ballot measures fared well in the 2016 election. (Vox)