U.S. solar employment now outnumbers oil and gas extraction jobs

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SOLAR:
• The number of U.S. solar industry jobs has increased 123 percent since 2010, with total industry employment now greater than oil and gas extraction jobs, according to a new survey. (Greentech Media)
• A Nevada regulator says recent changes to the state’s net metering policy should not be put on hold while the commission reconsiders the decision. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

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CLIMATE:
• ExxonMobil stockholders are demanding the company be more transparent in its campaign against climate policies and to comply with agreements reached in Paris. (Inside Climate News)
• Advocates may use court challenges to hold countries accountable to the goals agreed upon in Paris. (Politico)
• Major oil companies are still vague or unresponsive when asked about the Paris agreement’s long-term impacts on their business. (ClimateWire)
• New documents show how former leaders Bill Clinton and Tony Blair communicated about global climate pacts in the early 2000s. (ClimateWire)
• President Obama may take a climate ​“victory lap” in his State of the Union speech tonight. (The Hill)

COAL:
• A Montana coal mine reaches an agreement with environmental groups and state regulators that would avoid a major shutdown of operations. (Associated Press)
• How several generations of miners in western Kentucky are trying to hold on to a livelihood that is fading away. (National Public Radio)
• Arch Coal’s bankruptcy and declining prices industry-wide mean uncertainty for three proposed coal export terminals in the Pacific Northwest. (Portland Business Journal)

NATURAL GAS: California lawmakers propose stronger regulations to prevent natural gas storage leaks in light of the ongoing problems at a site near Los Angeles. (Associated Press)

NUCLEAR: A new report finds Upstate New York’s three nuclear power plants contribute more than $3 billion to the state’s GDP and account for nearly 25,000 direct and indirect jobs. (Transmission & Distribution World)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: Alabama delays compliance work leaving it vulnerable to the imposition of a federal plan. (Bloomberg BNA)

OIL AND GAS:
• A group of Oklahoma residents file suit against 12 energy companies claiming their drilling wells were at least partly to blame for recent earthquakes. (The Oklahoman)
• BP announces it is cutting 5 percent of its workforce amid low oil prices. (Reuters)
• Most oil and gas companies don’t report their methane emissions, creating risk for investors, a new report finds. (Reuters)

BIOFUELS: A group of biofuel trade associations files a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals asking for a review of the EPA’s ability to reduce biofuel standards. (Reuters)

RENEWABLES: A pair of recent reports show the costs of complying with renewable energy standards in Ohio were significantly lower than previously thought. (Midwest Energy News)

VW SCANDAL: Volkswagen executives apologize at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, vowing to ​“win back trust” in the company following last year’s emissions scandal. (Columbus Business First)

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STORAGE: As the number of energy storage projects grows, grid operator MISO is developing a policy that factors such projects into tariffs. (RTO Insider)

COMMENTARY:
• Here’s how the bankruptcy of Arch Coal presents opportunities for cleaner energy sources. (PV Magazine)
• A ​“massive systemic change is afoot” to transition to a post-fossil fuel era. (Huffington Post)