CLIMATE: In a continuation from 2016, the Republican Party platform insists market forces and innovation will solve climate change, as some conservatives warn the party is increasingly out of step with voters on the issue. (The Hill)
ALSO: Scientists warn that a warming atmosphere is fueling record wildfires in the West and what is shaping up to be a record-breaking hurricane season. (Washington Post)
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OVERSIGHT: Thousands of companies were given permission to stop monitoring pollution under a Trump administration rollback intended to help the oil and gas industry. (Associated Press)
OIL & GAS:
• A North Dakota program aims to keep roughly 1,000 oil workers employed through the year by plugging abandoned wells. (Bismarck Tribune)
• The Coast Guard calls off the search for two remaining crew members who went missing after a pipeline explosion. (Corpus Christi Caller Times)
FOSSIL FUELS: A new analysis indicates 118,000 coal, oil, and gas jobs were lost since March, surpassing clean energy layoffs. (E&E News, subscription)
COAL: In a recent letter to West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, the Mine Safety and Health Administration declined to issue an emergency temporary standard that could protect coal miners vulnerable to the coronavirus. (Ohio Valley Resource)
STORAGE:
• New Hampshire will study how to value energy storage and compensate battery owners for the benefits they provide through avoided costs for production and transmission. (Energy News Network)
• California’s grid operator says every bit of energy storage helps during heat waves when the demand for air conditioning leads to rolling blackouts. (Grist)
SOLAR: A solar installation on a Minneapolis building is unique for incorporating an artful design in a highly visible area. (Energy News Network)
WIND: New York commits $200 million to develop offshore wind staging areas and towns along the Hudson River vie for selections to be made later this year. (Greentech Media)
NUCLEAR:
• Minnesota-based Xcel Energy looks to extend the lives of its existing nuclear plants while exploring options for smaller reactors as it transitions to entirely carbon-free power. (Star Tribune)
• National opposition against a proposed New Mexico nuclear waste facility continues to grow, with calls for the project’s licensing process to be suspended during the pandemic. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
UTILITIES: American Electric Power investors file a lawsuit alleging the utility covertly participated in a scheme to bail out uneconomic nuclear and coal plants. (Cleveland.com)
TRANSMISSION: Opponents of a Maine transmission line to import Canadian hydropower face limited options to block the project. (Bangor Daily News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Partnerships with special purpose acquisition companies are helping electric vehicle startups gain quick access to capital. (New York Times)
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PUBLIC LANDS: Montana Gov. Steve Bullock wants a federal judge to remove William Perry Pendley as acting head of the Bureau of Land Management. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY: A New York Times editorial finds room for optimism even as President Trump “has left the country’s environmental policies in wreckage.”