New York Times: The European Commission on Wednesday gave Spain permission to subsidize its domestic coal industry for four more years, prompting sharp criticism from environmental groups who said the measure risked damaging efforts to transition to cleaner energy. The measure was one of the most controversial decisions made so far by Joaquín Almunia, a former leader of the Spanish Socialists, since he took over as the E.U. commissioner for competition early this year. Spain was seeking to …