OVERSIGHT: The EPA’s inspector general says relaxed enforcement of pollution laws during the coronavirus pandemic “threatens the Agency’s overall mission to protect human health and the environment.” (Bloomberg)
ALSO: EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler appears in Wisconsin to tout air quality improvements in Sheboygan County, which critics say is due to a redrawn map that excludes high pollution readings. (InsideClimate News)
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CLEAN ENERGY:
• Goldman Sachs projects spending on clean energy projects will surpass oil and gas for the first time next year. (Business Insider)
• Xcel Energy proposes spending $3 billion, mostly on large renewable energy projects, in response to regulators’ call last month to help jumpstart the economy during the pandemic. (Star Tribune)
• Older wind and solar projects reaching retirement age could provide investment opportunities to be repowered with newer technology. (Bloomberg)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Rideshare company Lyft promises to shift to 100% electric vehicles by 2030. (Greentech Media)
CLIMATE:
• Massachusetts lawmakers urge Boston-based Liberty Mutual insurance to stop providing coverage to fossil fuel projects and companies, which include controversial projects such as Keystone XL. (Energy News Network)
• Chevron recently sent an email to journalists claiming that climate action would harm people of color by depriving them of jobs in the fossil fuel industry. (E&E News, subscription required)
OIL & GAS:
• Dominion Energy asks federal regulators for two more years to complete the long-delayed $8 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline, as lawyers opposing the project turn their focus to environmental justice and climate. (Reuters, Bloomberg)
• House Democrats say the BLM may be unlawfully allowing oil and gas companies to seek royalty cuts because of the coronavirus crisis. (E&E News, subscription)
COAL: Navajo Nation advocates say aquifer depletion from coal mining has made it harder for residents to get water, exacerbating the spread of COVID-19. (Bloomberg)
SOLAR: The Navajo Transitional Energy Company is planning to install 200 MW of solar power on reclaimed land at its New Mexico coal mine. (Navajo Times)
STORAGE: Sunrun finalizes agreements with utilities in New York and California to run pilot programs at hundreds of residences with solar-battery combinations to create virtual power plants. (Greentech Media)
OFFSHORE WIND: A deeper analysis of a federal study of offshore wind impacts shows there may be some “less than palatable” conditions set on projects, one analyst says. (E&E News, subscription required)
NUCLEAR: A federal judge rules a Florida utility is legally bound to buy power for 20 years from Plant Vogtle nuclear reactors in Georgia despite delays and cost overruns. (Florida Times-Union)
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GRID: Shifting demand patterns from the coronavirus pandemic are making it harder for grid operators to predict future needs. (Utility Dive)
COMMENTARY:
• Environmental justice advocates say New York City’s peaker plants must close as their public health risks disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities. (Gotham Gazette)
• The CEO of a California climate policy think tank says decarbonizing the electric grid, and electrifying everything is key to the state’s post-pandemic economy. (Forbes)