RENEWABLE ENERGY: In what analysts say is a sign of the shifting energy economy, some of the largest renewable energy developers have already surpassed oil majors in market valuation. (E&E News)

ALSO: A new study warns that steps must be taken to avoid damage to wildlife habitat from mining materials needed for clean energy technology. (The Guardian)

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OVERSIGHT:
• A document obtained through a records request outlines more than 60 energy and infrastructure projects the Trump administration wants to fast-track amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Associated Press)
• A new report issued by the Interior Department’s internal watchdog indicates two top officials misled Congress in claiming it was necessary to relocate the Bureau of Land Management to Colorado due to high office rent in Washington, D.C. (The Hill)

EQUITY:
• The COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating environmental injustice in Michigan, including through higher utility bills and fossil fuels pollution, according to a new study. (WKAR)
• Arizona community groups want the state’s largest electric utility to forgive roughly $30 million in debt from ratepayers unable to pay their bills due to record unemployment caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (Arizona Republic)

OHIO: Democratic lawmakers push for a swift repeal of Ohio’s power plant bailout law, while Republican leaders say they want to avoid being “hasty and reckless.” (WOSU)

UTILITIES: Connecticut legislators unveil a bill to revamp utility regulation to a performance-based model to reward or punish utilities for the speed of service restorations after storms. (Hartford Courant)

SOLAR: State regulators will allow Alabama Power to increase a monthly fee on solar generation by 8% to $5.41 per kilowatt-hour, which opponents say will slash customers’ potential savings in half. (Montgomery Advertiser, InsideClimate News)

CARBON CAPTURE: North Dakota utility officials discuss challenges with financing carbon capture projects during a visit by U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette. (Bismarck Tribune)

TRANSPORTATION: The pandemic ends a fledgling rural bus service in Maine that had shown promising ridership numbers before it had to close. (Energy News Network)

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POLITICS: Joe Biden’s long political career has shaped his approach to a proposed climate plan that many see as a last chance for U.S. leadership on the issue. (InsideClimate News)

COMMENTARY:
• A conservative clean energy leader challenges the narrative that renewable energy is to blame for California’s capacity shortfalls. (Energy News Network)
• A reporter outlines how the South could save money by cleaning up its power grid — but its monopoly utilities are holding it back. (Vox) 

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Ken Paulman

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.