PIPELINES: A federal judge upholds a ruling against the Keystone XL pipeline but revises it to allow a disputed federal permitting program for stream and wetland crossings to be used again for electric transmission projects. (Reuters)

ALSO: Environmentalists sue federal regulators for their approval of a western Massachusetts pipeline project contending that climate risks should have been included in permit reviews. (Energy News Network)

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OIL & GAS:
• Oil and gas bankruptcies threaten to leave states with a massive bill to seal up thousands of “orphan” wells that pose pollution and safety risks. (Politico)
• The Trump administration moves to block a Washington state law that imposed safety restrictions on oil transported by rail from the Bakken region. (Associated Press)
• Natural gas exports to foreign countries slow because of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving companies’ expansion plans up in the air. (New York Times)
• Major oil companies and utilities stand to benefit from a planned $750 billion federal bond bailout, an environmental group’s analysis finds. (The Guardian)

SOLAR:
•  The $1 billion Gemini Project in Nevada, which at 690 MW will be the largest solar energy project in the U.S., gets its final federal approval with a decision by the Interior Department. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• The oil market crash is hurting Texas’ solar industry: Developers have scrapped plans to build at least 13 solar farms, and analysts say more may follow as the state’s economy suffers. (Bloomberg)

EFFICIENCY: A Pennsylvania company that specializes in energy efficiency for healthcare facilities is slowed by the coronavirus pandemic but expects to bounce back when the crisis passes. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)

CLEAN ENERGY: Advocates say New York companies requesting rate relief during the pandemic endanger a key funding source for state clean energy programs. (Politico)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Elon Musk resumed operations at his California Tesla plant yesterday, defying a county shelter-in-place order. (Associated Press)

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OVERSIGHT: Polluters are claiming the pandemic prevents them from complying with pollution cleanup orders, and environmental groups fear the U.S. EPA won’t hold them accountable. (Grist)

COMMENTARY: Clean energy jobs including wind energy engineer and solar installer rank among the lowest risk for COVID-19 infection, a clean energy group writes. (Clean Energy Future Blog)

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Dan Haugen

Dan has two decades' experience working in print, digital and broadcast media. Prior to joining the Energy News Network as managing editor in December 2017, he oversaw watchdog reporting at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, part of the USA Today Network, and before that spent several years as a freelance journalist covering energy, business and technology. Dan is a former Midwest Energy News journalism fellow and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communications from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.