RENEWABLES: Coronavirus is taking a toll on the renewable energy industry, delaying construction or casting doubt on hundreds of planned wind and solar projects across the country. (Associated Press)

ALSO:
• The pandemic is drying up capital and disrupting supply chains for renewables, which have received little attention from Washington. (Washington Post)
• The wind energy industry ended March with a record 24,690 MW under construction, but those projects are at risk due to the pandemic. (S&P Global)

***SPONSORED LINK: Applications are now open for the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship, a yearlong program for high-performing, high-potential military veterans in advanced energy, presented by the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Learn more at www.vetsenergyproject.org/fellowship***

SOLAR:
• The economic fallout from the pandemic and the stalling of legislation to expand incentives could spell trouble for Illinois’ solar industry. (Energy News Network)
• A solar workgroup in southwest Virginia retools its approach, hopeful that Virginia’s new clean energy law will help overcome setbacks — including the pandemic — for solar projects in the region. (Energy News Network)
• A lengthy permitting process for a massive solar project in Virginia pushed financing talks into the middle of the pandemic, but developers say the project will go on. (Greentech Media)

CLIMATE:
• JPMorgan Chase says it will replace a former Exxon Mobil CEO as its lead independent director by the end of summer after it faced pressure from climate activists, including New York City’s pension fund. (Reuters)
• A Republican U.S. senator from Wyoming says he believes in the science of climate and is focused on ways to address it without taxation and penalization. (Wyoming Public Media)
• A recent study by an environmental group found that methane leaks erased most of the carbon dioxide benefits of switching from coal to gas. (E&E News)

PIPELINES:
• The oil and gas industry is concerned that a recent federal ruling involving the Keystone XL pipeline could mean widespread permitting challenges ahead. (DeSmog)
• The Sierra Club sues the Army Corps of Engineers over the Permian Highway Pipeline in Texas, saying environmental reviews were insufficient and should not have been approved. (Kallanish Energy)

OIL & GAS:
• A Louisiana engineer created a containment system to capture millions of gallons of oil from one of the largest and longest-running oil spills in U.S. history. (NOLA.com)
• Exxon Mobil says it lost $610 million during the first quarter of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and oil market collapse. (Houston Chronicle)

COAL: Environmental groups call on NIPSCO to release more detailed removal plans and take steps to protect groundwater as the utility clears coal ash storage sites in northwestern Indiana. (Times of Northwest Indiana)

POLLUTION: The coronavirus crisis offers a clear view of what causes air pollution. Spoiler alert: it’s cars and factories. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)

COMMENTARY:
• The federal government must recognize and target energy insecurity as part of coronavirus relief legislation, write a professor and instructor at Indiana University’s school of public and environmental affairs. (Nature)
• Offshore wind could be the answer to helping Louisiana transition from an oil and gas economy, a journalist writes. (NOLA.com)

Avatar photo

Dan Haugen

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.