PIPELINES: Joe Biden’s campaign says if elected he would rescind President Trump’s permit allowing the Keystone XL pipeline to cross the border into the United States, effectively killing the project. (Politico)
OIL & GAS:
• U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette accuses banks of “redlining” oil and gas investments, comparing restrictions on financing Arctic drilling projects to past policies of refusing mortgages to communities of color. (Axios)
• As public meetings for proposals to expand oil and gas drilling move online, Native Americans are worried they won’t be heard. (Washington Post)
• Undersea avalanches in the Gulf of Mexico are more common than previously thought, raising concerns about offshore oil infrastructure. (National Geographic)
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CLIMATE: Coronavirus fears have not diluted Americans’ concern about climate change, according to a new national survey. (New York Times)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Tesla is reportedly deciding between Austin and Tulsa as the site of its next U.S. factory, though the company has not commented. (Axios)
• Global electric car sales are projected to fall this year, but not as badly as sales of combustion engine cars, according to BloombergNEF analysts. (Reuters)
STORAGE:
• A request by Tesla reveals a deep divide between Texas’ grid operator and utility regulators over how to accommodate battery storage. (Houston Chronicle)
• Integrating energy storage with electric vehicle charging will be important for helping to manage EVs growing demands on the grid, a report says. (Utility Dive)
CARBON: The founders of online payment company Stripe will spend $1 million funding experimental carbon reduction projects instead of buying cheap, conventional carbon offsets. (Reuters)
BIOFUELS:
• An anaerobic digester at a Vermont dairy farm is under construction to provide renewable natural gas to a college and a utility. (Energy News Network)
• The U.S. Supreme Court will not weigh in on legal disputes over the U.S. EPA’s implementation of the renewable fuel standard. (E&E News, subscription)
COAL:
• American Resources Corporation has not complied with a bankruptcy court’s orders to pay for reclamation and employee wages, even after receiving $2.7 million in emergency pandemic funding. (Ohio Valley Resource)
• A federal court approves a deal requiring two federal agencies to review the environmental impacts of coal mining on endangered species like West Virginia’s Guyandotte River crayfish. (WVPB)
OFFSHORE WIND: Maryland legislators want federal regulators to reverse a ruling they say will hurt offshore wind’s ability to compete in capacity auctions. (Utility Dive)
SOLAR: An Ohio company plans to manufacture thin-film cadmium telluride solar panels in a market dominated by First Solar for the past decade. (PV Magazine)
EMISSIONS: Virginia lawmakers pressure Dominion Energy to “further expand its investment” in clean energy and efficiency, saying its integrated resource plan is not enough. (S&P Global)
OVERSIGHT: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Neil Chatterjee is reportedly considering a run for governor in Virginia. (The Hill)
LEGISLATION: A New Jersey bill would allocate 10% of the state’s clean energy fund to environmental justice communities for solar, renewables and energy efficiency. (NJ Spotlight)
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CLEAN ENERGY: Advocates anticipate a rebound for the clean energy industry, though the path ahead remains unclear. (Pew Charitable Trusts)
COMMENTARY: As more consumers switch to electric heating and appliances, they need to be cautious about utility demand charges, writes the president and CEO of the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative. (Utility Dive)