EFFICIENCY: A Virginia energy efficiency nonprofit leader says funding interruptions from federal programs have helped the organization prepare for uncertainty during the pandemic. (Energy News Network)
EMISSIONS: A court rules that the EPA violated the law when it denied a request from Maryland and Delaware to tighten air pollution controls at power plants in Kentucky, Virginia and other neighboring states. (Reuters)
***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.***
OVERSIGHT: Florida officials and utilities begin to factor COVID-19 precautions, like reducing work crews, into hurricane response costs and preparations. (News Service of Florida)
SOLAR: Emory University in Georgia will install over 15,000 solar panels on campus to generate about 10% of its power. (news release)
WIND: Major wind developers are increasingly adding solar to their portfolios, including projects in Florida, Georgia and Texas. (Greentech Media)
UTILITIES: The Tennessee Valley Authority for the first time in three years will have a full nine-member board as the U.S. Senate is expected to approve two President Trump nominees. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
TRANSPORTATION: Miami will pilot four low-powered electric-assist e-cargo bikes to be used for deliveries across the city. (Utility Dive)
OIL & GAS:
• U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette says an additional 23 million barrels of oil will be stored in strategic reserves in Louisiana. (WWL-TV)
• Environmental groups call on Brouillette to resign after he compared banks’ restrictions on oil and gas financing to refusing mortgages to people of color. (The Hill)
• Two oil and gas companies team up to develop a network of sensors that will monitor methane emissions in Texas. (Journal of Petroleum Technology)
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POLITICS: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Neil Chatterjee is reportedly considering a run for governor in Virginia. (The Hill)
COMMENTARY: Nearly three dozen organizations send a letter to North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, urging him to extend and strengthen a moratorium on utility disconnections and late payment fees during the pandemic. (Appalachian Voices)