PIPELINES: Climate activists sense a turning point as three major pipeline projects are either stalled or canceled, and environmental and Indigenous groups mount increasingly sophisticated legal attacks. (InsideClimate News, New York Times)
ALSO:
• Court decisions this week together highlight and raise the energy stakes of November’s election, which could decide the fate of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. (Axios)
• A federal judge declines to reverse his decision ordering the Dakota Access pipeline to be shut down. (The Hill)
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EFFICIENCY:
• As New Hampshire energy efficiency contractors return to work amid the COVID-19 pandemic, some say new safety guidelines are difficult to follow and don’t recognize the realities of their workplaces. (Energy News Network)
• Updated energy efficient building codes in St. Louis cause a political divide between environmental and homebuilders’ groups. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
GRID: U.S. electricity consumption is projected to drop by a record 4.3% in 2020 due to coronavirus-related lockdowns and business closures, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. (Reuters)
CLIMATE: A new study finds that even if humans sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions now, it might take decades for it to affect the Earth’s warming. (Washington Post)
UTILITIES:
• Utilities have used charitable donations to boost support from local groups on issues involving rooftop solar and utility-owned renewable energy. (HuffPost)
• State regulators have rejected utility requests to recover pandemic-related revenue losses, though longer-term changes may be in store. (Utility Dive)
EMISSIONS: Houston-based Vistra Energy was the top emitter of carbon dioxide in the U.S. power sector in 2018, followed by Duke Energy and Southern Company, according to an environmental group’s report. (E&E News, subscription)
OIL & GAS:
• A study finds that a one-mile buffer zone would help protect Alaskan polar bear dens from oil and gas drilling and exploration — if they can be found. (InsideClimate News)
• A federal court denies a request by Suncor Energy and Exxon Mobil, ruling that a climate lawsuit filed by the city of Boulder and two Colorado counties will remain in state court. (Boulder Daily Camera)
COAL: More than 50 Ohio Valley coal companies received loans totaling $119 million through the Paycheck Protection Program meant to keep people employed during the pandemic. (Ohio Valley Resource)
POWER PLANTS: Advocates say New York City’s polluting peaker plants should be replaced by publicly owned renewable energy projects to mitigate adverse health effects on nearby residents. (The Gothamist)
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PUBLIC LANDS: Native American tribes and conservationists want 350,000 acres of public land in southern Nevada designated a national monument to protect it from mining, energy development, utility lines, and road construction. (KLAS)
COMMENTARY: America’s bipartisan obsession with building roads is a misguided use of infrastructure spending, write two assistant professors. (New York Times)