BIOMASS: The wood pellet business is booming across the Southeast, driven by European policies that reward burning wood due to what scientists say is a dangerous carbon accounting loophole. (InsideClimate News)

SOLAR:
• A remodeled McDonald’s designed to generate all of its own power on site opens near Disney World with over 1,060 rooftop solar panels. (Orlando Sentinel)
• Duke Energy says it’s open to changes to its popular rooftop solar rebate program to make it more effective. (Triad Business Journal, subscription required)

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PIPELINES: Opponents of the proposed MVP Southgate pipeline in North Carolina see parallels with the recently canceled Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (News & Record)

COAL:
• Three environmental groups sue West Virginia regulators in an effort to force the state to maintain a fund to clean up abandoned coal mines. (Gazette-Mail)
• A Kentucky state assistance coordinator is available to meet with coal miners who lost jobs when a McLean County mine ended operations. (WKYU-FM)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Florida will spend $8.6 million of its Volkswagen settlement funds to install 27 charging stations along the state’s major interstates. (Associated Press)
• A regional grocery chain begins to install free electric vehicle charging stations for customers at stores in Virginia and Washington, D.C. (Cape Gazette)
• A conservative, free-market think tank says Florida should consider taxing drivers per mile driven instead of its current gasoline tax. (WUSF)

OIL & GAS:
• An Oklahoma gas company creates a website promoting cooking with natural gas as clean energy groups elsewhere promote electrification. (Oklahoman)
• A federal bank survey shows oil and gas companies are suffering but a growing number expect prices to gradually climb toward a new equilibrium. (Oklahoman)
• The CEO of an oil and gas company accused of shorting Oklahoma’s land office on royalty payments is being recommended by the governor to serve as the new head of that state agency. (Oklahoman)

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UTILITIES: Duke Energy and other utilities tell the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that COVID-19 remains a “significant threat to the sector.” (Utility Dive)

POLITICS: Texas could emerge as a key proving ground for Joe Biden’s message of economic populism that’s heavy on clean energy. (E&E News, subscription)

Dan has two decades' experience working in print, digital and broadcast media. Prior to joining the Energy News Network as managing editor in December 2017, he oversaw watchdog reporting at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, part of the USA Today Network, and before that spent several years as a freelance journalist covering energy, business and technology. Dan is a former Midwest Energy News journalism fellow and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communications from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.