CLIMATE: A study by prominent U.S. and British economists says a massive “green” recovery program would be the most cost-effective way to revive the economy and tackle climate change. (Reuters)
GRID:
• Solar, wind and hydro have exceeded coal-fired generation in the United States for a record 40 straight days, according to a new report. (Reuters)
• Record output from wind and solar is more frequently pushing prices below the point where nuclear reactors can operate profitably. (Bloomberg)
***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***
JUST TRANSITION: The United States lacks a federal plan to support coal and nuclear plant workers as they close in the coming years. (Greentech Media)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: An ambitious plan by Connecticut to deploy up to 150,000 electric vehicles in five years faces even more challenges because of the coronavirus pandemic, advocates say. (Energy News Network)
EMISSIONS: In a historic and overdue move, the EPA sends a proposed rule to the White House to limit carbon dioxide emissions from planes. (E&E News, subscription)
OIL & GAS:
• The Texas Railroad Commission was expected to vote today on a proposal to cut oil production, but members say they still are not ready to act. (NPR)
• North Dakota faces a “truly unprecedented” situation as production drops off due to its relatively higher costs to produce and transport oil. (Reuters)
• A federal judge on Friday vacated 287 oil and gas leases in Montana, ruling the BLM failed to adequately consider the environmental impacts of drilling. (New York Times)
• Shell sells its Pennsylvania oil and gas assets for $541 million but is keeping its petrochemical operations in the state. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
PIPELINES:
• The Rev. Jesse Jackson, breaking from other progressives, is calling to build a natural gas pipeline to serve an impoverished community near Chicago. (Axios)
• Attorneys general for 14 states urge a court to keep the Dakota Access Pipeline running during a federal environmental analysis. (E&E News, subscription)
COAL:
• State and federal agencies are not tracking coronavirus transmissions or regulating sanitation to keep coal miners safe. (Ohio Valley Resource)
• Murray Energy creditors seek permission to sue founder Robert Murray and family members to recover $71 million in alleged excessive compensation in the years leading up to the company’s bankruptcy. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)
COAL ASH: The Tennessee Valley Authority and Jacobs Engineering, a contractor on the utility’s 2008 coal ash spill, are ranked by a labor coalition as one of the nation’s worst workplace safety companies. (Knoxville News Sentinel)
OFFSHORE WIND: A “digital twin” model of floating offshore wind turbines that could be built off the coast of California aims to generate data to improve performance. (Greentech Media)
FINANCE:
• Congressional Republicans are reportedly planning a pressure campaign against large banks refusing financial support for Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil drilling projects, but some experts say such financing is actually very rare. (Politico, InsideClimate News)
• New York resists calls from climate activists to divest state pension holdings in fossil fuels as that sector suffers large losses during the coronavirus pandemic. (Gotham Gazette)
POLLUTION:
• A GOP congressman asks federal agencies to review a Harvard study linking air pollution to coronavirus deaths after it is cited in a lawsuit against the EPA. (The Hill)
• Gas stoves are making people sick and make indoor air two to five times dirtier than outdoor air, according to a new report. (The Guardian)
COMMENTARY: Stimulus spending on the grid can put Americans back to work and make the system and economy more resilient, an energy advisor writes. (Utility Dive)