Washington county suspends new permits for crude exports

OIL & GAS: A county council in Washington state passes an emergency moratorium to suspend new permits for shipments of crude oil, citing health and safety concerns. (Bellingham Herald)

ALSO:
• Major fuel refiners are on track to pay record amounts for credits to comply with U.S. renewable fuel rules. (Reuters)
• Oklahoma-based Chesapeake Energy Corp. is giving away its shale holdings in the Barnett region in North Texas to escape $1.9 billion in costs. (Bloomberg)
• Low oil prices and a surge in bankruptcies are helping private equity firms buy more cheap energy assets. (Bloomberg)

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PIPELINES: Native Americans block crews constructing an oil pipeline in North Dakota, while Iowa landowners ask a judge to halt work on the portion of the pipeline in their state. (Associated Press)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY: Roanoke, Virginia, is improving the energy efficiency of its municipal buildings with the help of new software that projects rates of return on efficiency investments. (Southeast Energy News)

TRANSPORTATION: Low funding for transit is making it difficult for Ohio to cut down on its transportation emissions. (Midwest Energy News)

UTILITIES: Utilities are well positioned to enhance EV infrastructure, but many are waiting for a push from regulators and the market. (Utility Dive)

COAL:
• Donald Trump promises coal miners in rural Virginia that he will put them back to work. (Associated Press)
• Duke Energy wants customers in South Carolina to pay a 14.5 percent rate increase to fund its cleanup of 34 coal ash ponds. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• St. Louis-based coal producer Peabody Energy comes closer to emerging from bankruptcy with the approval of a 5-year business plan. (St. Louis Business Journal)

CLIMATE CHANGE:
• Time is running short for extending California’s climate law. (Associated Press)
• A bipartisan group of California mayors is urging lawmakers to approve legislation that would extend the state’s targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. (Los Angeles Times)

SOLAR:
• An oversight by county officials in California leads to solar panels being installed on a tribal burial ground. (Mercury News)
• The top two U.S. solar manufacturers are shifting focus to rooftops and panel sales due to a decline in utilities buying solar power. (Bloomberg)
• The second-largest U.S. panel producer expects to lose as much as $175 million this year, plunging shares to seven-year lows. (Bloomberg)
• Tesla’s Elon Musk has announced two new solar products, including one that could disrupt the roofing industry. (EcoWatch)

POLLUTION: More than 2,000 Southern Californians die early each year from polluted air, according to a new study. (Los Angeles Times)

NUCLEAR:
• Environmental groups are dropping a legal battle over the use of river water by a planned nuclear plant in eastern Utah. (Deseret News)
• Illinois leaders encourage state lawmakers to follow New York’s energy model to preserve several of the state’s struggling nuclear plants. (Quad-City Times)

EMISSIONS:
• A new study sheds light on methane emissions in urban environments. (Environmental Defense Fund)
• The dairy industry fights back against California’s methane reduction plan, saying ​“cows expel gas so they don’t explode.” (The Guardian)

COMMENTARY:
• Despite actively promoting a carbon tax, Exxon is still doing what it can to obstruct policies to combat climate change. (Huffington Post)
• A well-designed carbon tax alternative could re-position California as a national climate leader, while also assuring continued emissions reductions. (Los Angeles Times)
• The federal government and oil industry should use mitigation strategies to balance conservation and development at the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. (Alaska Dispatch News)