CLIMATE: Despite an emissions decline during the coronavirus shutdown, global CO2 concentrations have reached another new record. (New York Times)

ALSO:
• Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey petitions state regulators to begin a study of the phase-out of natural gas to meet its climate goals. (CommonWealth Magazine)
• Critics say Minneapolis’ 2013 climate plan that’s still in use today failed from the outset to include African American and American Indian voices in critical discussions. (E&E News)
• A bipartisan bill in Congress would establish carbon offsets in the agriculture sector. (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.***

EQUITY:
• Clean energy groups say they will work harder to diversify the industry to address racial injustice. (Greentech Media)
• A Navajo organization helps members develop their own energy sources, noting that federal programs to expand electricity access have historically shut tribes out. (Global Citizen)

GRID: In a compliance filing with federal regulators, PJM calls a recent ruling on its capacity market an “unreasonable burden.” (Utility Dive)

PIPELINES: Critics of President Trump’s newly-signed executive order waiving environmental review to expedite key projects say it is poorly timed and communities of color would be disproportionately affected. (Washington Post, InsideClimate News)

SOLAR:
• Utility groups have not taken a position on a proposal that would make any customer-owned generation subject to federal regulation. (Utility Dive)
• Arkansas regulators’ decision to keep net metering rules in place are a lifeline for the state’s solar industry, experts say. (InsideClimate News)

COAL: Six Murray Energy subsidiaries file mass layoff notices for 2,453 employees in West Virginia. (Huntington Herald Dispatch)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: General Motors is developing an electric van aimed at business users, joining a growing number of automakers looking to participate in electrified commercial fleets. (Reuters)

TRANSPORTATION: New CDC guidelines recommending solo driving to prevent COVID-19 transmission raise concerns about further increasing pollution. (CNBC)

***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.*** 

CLEAN ENERGY: U.S. solar, wind, storage, and hydropower industries announce a collective goal to account for a majority of electricity generation sources by 2030. (Greentech Media)

COMMENTARY:
• A writer says cutting funding for police departments and investing in communities instead can be good climate policy. (The New Republic)
• A developer says community solar thrives even during a pandemic as residents see its benefits and states can promote economic growth at scale. (Solar Power World)
• An energy analyst explores the grave inequities in clean energy and how racism manifests in the sector. (GreenBiz)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy, and has led the project from its inception as Midwest Energy News in 2009. 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 held a variety of editing, production, and leadership roles, and played a key role in the newspaper's transition to digital-first publishing. 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.