"Rick Perry, the former Texas governor and President-elect Donald J. Trump’s nominee as energy secretary, said in his Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday that he regretted having recommended the abolition of the Energy Department in the past."

"A federal judge on Wednesday allowed a potentially lengthy environmental review of the Dakota Access Pipeline to move forward over objections from the pipeline’s developer."

"China is canceling plans to build more than 100 coal-fired power plants, seeking to rein in runaway, wasteful investment in the sector while moving the country away from one of the dirtiest forms of electricity generation, the government announced in a directive made public this week."

"The Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians in northern Wisconsin voted not to renew an easement for a major oil and gas pipeline that passes through its reservation. In the wake of the successful protest against the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota, this decision is the latest example of Native American tribes using sovereignty rights to oppose fossil fuel projects."

"While many U.S. states have mandates and incentives to get more of their electricity from renewable energy, Republican legislators in Wyoming are proposing to cut the state off from its most abundant, clean resource—wind—and ensuring its continued dependence on coal."

"In Southern California in the fall of 2015, a giant natural gas leak not only caused one of the worst environmental disasters in the nation’s history, it also knocked out a critical fuel source for regional power plants. Energy regulators needed a quick fix."

"A new front has opened in the fight against the developer of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The battleground this time is rural west Texas, where a small, yet intense opposition to building the Trans-Pecos Pipeline has gained force in recent days."

"The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday accused Fiat Chrysler of installing secret software that allowed more than 100,000 of its diesel vehicles to emit pollutants above legal levels."

"With just days until President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Department of the Interior finalized a report Wednesday calling for major changes to the federal coal program by which the U.S. manages the leasing of land to companies for exploration and production across 570 million publicly owned acres."