** Federal figures show natural gas-fired power generation surged by 31% from 2015 to 2019 reported Natural Gas Intelligence.
** The Associated Press reports that new revenue data from the Interior Department indicates payments to Western states from drilling and mining on public lands decreased 26% in fiscal year 2020 compared to 2019.
** EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler says he tested negative after going into quarantine last week because he had been exposed to someone who later tested positive for Covid-19.
** The Tennessee Valley Authority agrees to move 175 graves from six family cemeteries to enable expansion of a coal ash landfill reported the Gallatin News.
** The Detroit News reports that roughly 150 Cadillac dealerships are choosing to take buyouts from General Motors instead of investing thousands of dollars to support electric vehicles.
** E & E News reports that dormer Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm is a front-runner to lead the incoming Biden Administration’s domestic climate policy.
** A former Maine official and his company will pay $1.5 million to settle federal charges from 2012 that he advised a client to illegally manipulate New England’s energy market during times of high electricity demand reported CentralMaine.com.
** Denmark announced it will end new oil and gas exploration in the service of its goal to be carbon neutral by 2050.
** Reuters says Iran has instructed its oil industry to boost production and sale of crude within three months in preparation for Biden’s inauguration and the potential lifting of U.S. sanctions on Iran’s exports if it returns to strict compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal according to state media.
** The Nevada Independent reports Nevada’s recently released climate plan outlines a transition away from natural gas, which a state official says “has to be sensitive to costs.”
** The Trump administration has put China’s oil giant CNOOC on a blacklist of alleged Chinese military companies, drawing condemnation from Beijing as apparent President-elect Biden prepares to take office.
