OVERSIGHT: President Trump is expected to announce a new federal rule today to speed up environmental review for pipelines, power plants and other infrastructure. (Associated Press)
ALSO:
• Critics call the move a cynical attempt to dismantle a 50-year-old environmental law signed by Richard Nixon to make sure poor and minority communities have a voice in projects that threaten to pollute their neighborhood. (Washington Post)
• A federal appeals court temporarily blocks the shutdown of the Dakota Access pipeline, set to begin next month, to allow parties in the case more time to file briefs. (NPR)
• Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette says recent setbacks for pipelines are a national security issue, while activists say the tide of public opinion is turning against new fossil fuel infrastructure. (The Hill, Philadelphia Inquirer)
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CLIMATE:
• Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden unveils a $2 trillion climate and infrastructure plan that aims to phase out fossil fuels by 2035. (E&E News)
• Biden’s clean energy plan comes as utilities across the country have already announced plans to decarbonize their power systems. (E&E News, subscription)
• Experts say many of the technologies needed for rapid decarbonization are not yet ready for large-scale deployment. (Vox)
NATURAL GAS: As studies show methane emissions are soaring globally, a new report questions efforts to advance renewable natural gas. (Reuters, Denver Post)
CLEAN ENERGY:
• Activists and legislators in Massachusetts push a bill to transition to 100% clean energy on a more compressed timeline than proposed by Gov. Charlie Baker as the legislative session draws to a close. (Energy News Network)
• Michigan’s largest municipal utility announces a plan to have 50% clean energy resources by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2040. (WKAR)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Fifteen states and Washington D.C. join a compact pledging 100% of trucks sold by 2050 will be zero-emission vehicles. (Utility Dive)
EMISSIONS: A federal appeals court sides with New York and other states and orders the Environmental Protection Agency to further review emissions from 350 sources that cross into neighboring states. (The Hill)
SOLAR: Massachusetts finalizes rules to expand solar programs but revises some land use restrictions that have caused alarm among project developers. (Greentech Media)
STORAGE: The largest energy storage project in the U.S., activated in California last month, will soon be eclipsed by much larger systems. (Greentech Media)
OIL & GAS: Environmentalists question the fairness of ongoing BLM oil and gas lease sales of New Mexico federal land during the coronavirus crisis. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
COAL: A new report explores the water supply risks facing Western coal plants, and the conflicts and legal disputes that have already arisen between communities and the utilities that operate them. (Energy and Policy Institute)
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MEDIA: Critics say an exemption for “opinion” pieces creates a major loophole in Facebook’s effort to stop the spread of climate misinformation on its platform. (New York Times)
COMMENTARY: A Washington Post columnist says compared to President Trump’s “dystopia and fear-mongering,” Joe Biden’s climate speech was “a reminder how normal presidents and presidential candidates can sound.”