PIPELINES: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chairman rejects a request from attorneys general in Virginia and other states to pause approvals for gas pipelines, claiming it would be “short-sighted and impractical.” (The Hill)

RENEWABLES:
• The U.S. is on track to produce more energy with renewables than coal this year for the first time ever, partly because of the pandemic. (New York Times)
• S. David Freeman, a champion of clean energy who advised presidents on energy policy and served on the board of TVA, dies at 94. (Washington Post)

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SOLAR:
• First Solar, America’s largest solar manufacturer, picks Greenville, South Carolina, for its new East Coast distribution hub. (AJOT)
• Kentucky regulators approve plans for a utility to provide solar energy to Toyota and Dow, as well as another power purchase agreement for a solar farm. (Daily Energy Insider)

GRID: Texas’ electric grid operator expects record-breaking peak electricity use this summer because of the heat, even though people are using less electricity because of the pandemic. (KUT)

COAL:
• In the first quarter of 2020, central Appalachian coal mines had their lowest quarterly output in 25 years. (S&P Global)
• A shuttered coal-fired power plant in Texas is expected to restart in the summer of 2021, according to the state’s electricity grid manager. (Houston Chronicle)

OIL & GAS:
• The Louisiana oil and gas industry’s pandemic struggles could help it push through long-sought legislation like bills to stifle coastal lawsuits and offer tax relief. (Daily Advertiser)
• An Alabama oil and gas company is buying 900 wells in West Virginia and Pennsylvania from gas giant EQT for $125 million. (Kallanish Energy)

NUCLEAR: Georgia Power says the Plant Vogtle nuclear plant has reached another key construction milestone. (Power Engineering) 

COMMENTARY: A Sierra Club member says Dominion Energy’s refusal to give up natural gas in its long-term plan shows the utility isn’t taking emissions reductions seriously. (Virginia Mercury)

Lyndsey Gilpin

Lyndsey Gilpin is a freelance journalist based in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. She compiles the Southeast Energy News daily email digest. Lyndsey is the publisher of Southerly, a weekly newsletter about ecology, justice, and culture in the American South. She is on the board of directors for the Society of Environmental Journalists.