COAL: Coal plant closings have accelerated under President Trump compared to the second term of President Obama, despite Trump’s rhetoric about reviving the industry. (E&E News)
TRANSMISSION: A recently formed coalition aims to unite the country’s regional grids, which reports say will cut emissions and save money. (Vox)
***SPONSORED LINK: Center Out: A Strategy for Climate Success will be hosted by the Great Plains Institute on June 25. Join the conversation about how the Midwest can lead the clean energy transformation. Click here for more and to RSVP.***
CLIMATE:
• Major investors are pushing oil companies to better account for climate risks. (New York Times)
• The pope urges Catholics to divest from fossil fuels. (The Hill)
HYDROPOWER: Indigenous leaders in Canada warn that American demand for imported hydropower threatens hunting and fishing grounds that many Inuit depend on. (The Guardian)
PIPELINES:
• Enbridge has partially reopened the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac after shutting it down due to “significant damage” to an anchor support. (Detroit News, Bridge Magazine)
• Federal regulators approve an extension of the Mountain Valley Pipeline that will run south into North Carolina for another 75 miles. (Roanoke Times)
• Massachusetts’ U.S. senators call for work to halt on a controversial compressor station after a federal permit was revoked. (WBUR)
SOLAR:
• A Charlottesville, Virginia, solar nonprofit expects the biggest numbers yet for its annual group-buying program, despite delays and disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic. (Energy News Network)
• Tesla claims an average home solar customer in California purchasing a large system will make their money back in only six years by reducing their electric bill. (PV Magazine)
WIND: Wildlife concerns have been a barrier to offshore wind in Lake Erie, but a developer says they’re unable to gather actual data without a pilot project. (Washington Post)
UTILITIES: A federal judge approves PG&E’s bankruptcy exit plan, a move that allows the utility to take part in a $20 billion state fund to help cover liabilities from future wildfires. (New York Times)
EQUITY:
• Activists say Chevron tweeting “black lives matter” belies the company’s history of harm to communities of color. (InsideClimate News)
• New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says he supports a bill that would require energy developers to account for their impacts on low-income or marginalized communities. (WHYY)
• Formosa Plastics tried to block a Juneteenth ceremony for buried slaves near its petrochemical complex in south Louisiana. (Truthout)
GEOTHERMAL: A heat exchange technology developed at the University of Minnesota could help shrink the cost and footprint of geothermal systems by tapping into aquifers. (Energy News Network)
***SPONSORED LINK: Do you know someone who works hard to facilitate the transition to a clean energy economy? Nominate yourself or someone you know for Energy News Network’s 40 Under 40 today.***
COMMENTARY:
• A journalist describes what it’s like reporting on the energy industry’s “apocalypse” in Texas. (Houston Chronicle)
• A former Obama administration official says Lyft’s electrification plan can have both climate and equity benefits. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• A just transition from coal in Indiana includes supporting communities that have been disproportionately affected by coal pollution, a columnist says. (NUVO)
CORRECTION: An item in Friday’s digest about Dan Brouillette’s comments on wind energy linked to the wrong story. The correct link is here.