• Tesla Inc. fired about 150 of about 230 employees that work in the electric automaker’s delivery division, according to two of the laid-off workers, which could concern investors over U.S. demand for the Model 3 sedan, in part since figures for demand are not released publicly. The sources said that delivery targets in North America this quarter are 55 to 60 percent of those of last quarter. (Reuters)

• The Environmental Protection Agency has delayed until the second quarter the release of its replacement Clean Power Plan regulation, according to EPA General Counsel Matthew Leopold, who attributed the delay to the recent 35-day partial government shutdown. As proposed, the rule would let coal-fired power plants make certain technology improvements without following the agency’s New Source Review permitting process. (Platts)

• Iraqi electricity minister Luay al-Khatteeb cautioned that insufficient resources and bureaucratic barriers prevent him from wrapping up comprehensive energy deals with western companies such as General Electric Co. and Siemens Corp., which signed agreements with Iraq last year to provide 14 and 11 gigawatts of electricity, respectively, to Iraq. The agreements, he said, are non-binding and under review. (Financial Times)

EPA enforcement drops sharply in Trump’s 2nd year in office
Ellen Knickmeyer, The Associated Press

Declines include civil investigations carried out by the agency, which fell to 22 last year, down from 40 in 2017 and 125 in 2016, the last year of the Obama administration.

Lawmakers stunned by national park shutdown funding reversal
Miranda Green, The Hill

Experts and politicians say they have grave concerns and even more questions about the new decision. The shift overwrites the controversial decision made in early January for the National Park Service (NPS) to pull from park entrance fee revenue to cover shutdown costs.

EPA decision soon on chemical compounds tied to health risks
Ellen Knickmeyer et al., The Associated Press

The chemical compounds are all around you. They’re on many fabrics, rugs and carpets, cooking pots and pans, outdoor gear, shampoo, shaving cream, makeup and even dental floss. Increasing numbers of states have found them seeping into water supplies.

‘It’s crazy. It’s loony’: Republicans giddy as Democrats champion Green New Deal
Anthony Adragna and Zack Colman, Politico

As liberal groups pressure presidential candidates and lawmakers to back the ambitious climate proposal, Republicans hope their opponents may drift so far to the left that they will be more vulnerable in 2020.

Republican lawmakers face pressure to propose ‘Green New Deal’ alternative
Josh Siegel, Washington Examiner

Republicans who want to combat climate change say their party should avoid the temptation of rejecting the progressive “Green New Deal” without proposing an alternative.

How a top Republican aims to resist the Democratic climate change agenda
John Siciliano, Washington Examiner

Bishop, the panel’s top Republican and a Utahn, argues that his panel does not have jurisdiction over climate change and thus cannot move major climate legislation and that the panel would be better suited for narrower legislation.

Oil prices steady, OPEC cuts countered by slow progress in trade talks
Noah Browning, Reuters

Oil prices were steady on Monday as support from OPEC-led supply restraint was countered by an uptick in U.S. drilling and concerns about demand due to the slow progress in U.S.-Chinese trade talks.

Venezuela moves to replace U.S. executives on Citgo board – sources
Marianna Parraga and Deisy Buitrago, Reuters

Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA is taking steps to remove at least two American executives from the board of directors of its U.S. refining subsidiary, Citgo Petroleum Corp, according to people close to the matter.

US refiner Citgo emerges as key to Venezuela’s power battle
Alexandra Olson, The Associated Press

Americans know Citgo for its familiar red triangle logo at its more than 5,000 branded gas stations and the iconic sign visible from Fenway Park in Boston. Venezuelans know it as one of their collapsing economy’s last lifelines.

US FERC extends time for Cheniere LNG environmental review, comments on other LNG projects
Maya Weber, Platts

The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has pushed back the environmental review schedule of a Cheniere LNG project expansion in Texas and extended the public comment period for several other projects.

US delays oil-and-gas lease sale near sacred tribal land
The Associated Press

U.S. land managers no longer plan to move forward in March with selling oil and gas leases near Chaco Culture National Historical Park, saying Friday they need to gather more information before they put up the land for bidding in New Mexico.

Another Utility Is One Wildfire Away From Ruin With No Fix in Sight
David R. Baker, Bloomberg

As PG&E Corp. plunged into bankruptcy last month, S&P Global Ratings slashed credit grades almost to junk status for California’s two other big electric utilities, owned by Sempra Energy and Edison International, and said they could go lower.

Major power market and grid changes are being driven by consumer choice
Jared Anderson, Platts

The energy technologies customers are choosing and changes in technologies like energy efficiency, demand management and distributed generation are creating more dynamic power grid designs, but they are also causing operational and economic challenges, utility experts said Friday.

Eversource plugs into green power with offshore wind, solar projects
Jon Chesto, The Boston Globe

That power line through New Hampshire’s mountains hasn’t quite worked out. And forget about that natural gas pipeline expansion in Massachusetts and Connecticut for now.

Tesla Is Cranking Out Model 3s—Now It Has to Service Them
Tim Higgins, The Wall Street Journal

The unusually long wait for a repair underlines a drawback of being a Tesla customer. The upstart car company has created a coveted luxury brand but is still learning some of the basics of the auto business.

Duke Energy Renewables plans its largest solar farm to date
John Downey, Charlotte Business Journal

Duke Energy Renewables bought the Lupetas project for an undisclosed sum and will manage construction of the solar farm. Duke will own and operate the project when it is finished.

Lyft introduces ‘Green Mode’ to put riders in EVs, hybrids
Jason Plautz, Utility Dive

Lyft is introducing a new “Green Mode” that will let passengers request an electric or hybrid vehicle as part of the platform’s goal to get a billion rides per year in electric cars by 2025. The green option is live in Seattle and will spread to other cities soon.

Power Plant Risks Early Closure in Westmoreland Bankruptcy
Stephen Lee, Bloomberg BNA

Nearly three-quarters of the Colstrip Power Plant’s electricity production could grind to a halt, its owners say, if Westmoreland’s potential new owners raise the price of coal from its Rosebud Mine.

Feds sue Hanford contractor, claiming kickbacks and lies defrauded taxpayers out of millions
Annette Cary, Tri-City Herald

The Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit Friday against Hanford contractor Mission Support Alliance, accusing it of defrauding the federal government out of tens of millions of taxpayer dollars.

‘Green New Deal’ doc phased out nuclear — until it didn’t
Hannah Northey et al., E&E News

As congressional backers of the “Green New Deal” prepared yesterday to roll out a resolution calling for a rapid shift to carbon-free energy, they also released a fact sheet nixing the possibility of building new nuclear power plants.

Kids in climate lawsuit ask to block fossil fuel production on federal land
Timothy Cama, The Hill

A group of kids and young adults suing the federal government over climate change is asking a court to block various approvals for fossil fuel development on federal land and offshore.

Extending the Electric Vehicle Tax Credit Would Entrench a Failed Policy
Liam Sigaud, Morning Consult

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated or capped many of the tax carve outs and exemptions that had plagued our tax code, but many remain. One tax credit that survived the chopping block provides a subsidy of up to $7,500 to electric car buyers.

As Climate Change Returns to Capitol Hill, Disagreements Remain Among Democrats
Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker

The Democratic leadership seemed willing to go only so far in advancing climate talks on Capitol Hill. On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the names of the new Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, which will have no legislative or subpoena power.

The truth about big oil and climate change
The Economist

In america, the world’s largest economy and its second biggest polluter, climate change is becoming hard to ignore. Extreme weather has grown more frequent.

The Green New Deal’s Trains and EVs Won’t Work for Everyone
Aarian Marshall, Wired

It’s hard and time consuming to get around many places in the country without driving, and 20 percent of those living in poverty don’t have access to a personal vehicle.

Estimating the Economic Impacts of Climate Change Using Weather Observations
Charles D. Kolstad and Frances C. Moore, National Bureau of Economic Research

This paper reviews methods that have been used to statistically measure the effect of climate on economic value, using historic data on weather, climate, economic activity and other variables. This has been an active area of research for several decades, with many recent developments and discussion of the best way of measuring climate damages.