SOLAR: A wide range of energy groups, state regulators and others urge FERC to reject a petition to end net metering being advanced by a dark-money group with ties to the fossil fuel industry; utilities still remain largely silent on the proposal. (Politico, Energy and Policy Institute, Utility Dive)
ALSO:
• A new report says the Bureau of Land Management is largely overlooking the potential for utility-scale solar on federal lands in the Southwest. (AZ Big Media)
• A rush to take advantage of expiring incentives has led to reliability issues at some concentrated solar plants. (E&E News)
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CLEAN ENERGY:
• A conservative clean energy group launches a landowner rights initiative in Iowa to help counter local opposition to wind and solar projects. (Energy News Network)
• Major clean energy projects around the U.S. have been moving forward despite the coronavirus pandemic. (Greentech Media)
WIND: New Jersey unveils plans to develop the first port on the East Coast solely dedicated to offshore wind and capable of serving projects in multiple states. (NJ Spotlight)
COAL:
• A Colorado utility pledges to shut down a coal plant 16 years early, leaving only two coal units in the state without closure dates in the near future. (Colorado Sun)
• A national coal miners’ union asks a court to force the federal government to take steps to protect miners from the coronavirus. (Associated Press)
OIL & GAS:
• A federal appeals court upholds the cancellation of the last remaining federal oil and gas lease in a Montana region sacred to the Blackfeet Nation and critical for wildlife habitat. (Earthjustice)
• Mississippi lawmakers advance a bill that threatens up to seven years in prison for damaging or trespassing on oil and gas property, and up to $100,000 in fines for groups supporting those who do. (HuffPost)
• Texas regulators consider tightening restrictions on flaring. (Reuters)
GRID:
• Transmission projects will be crucial to move wind and solar power from rural areas like the Great Plains to cities, experts say. (Bloomberg)
• Environmentalists and consumer advocates sue federal regulators over market rules approved last year that they say will increase customer costs. (E&E News, subscription required)
• Researchers are developing ways to prevent electric vehicles from being hacked to disrupt the grid. (E&E News, subscription required)
TRANSPORTATION: With car sales slow and interest in cycling surging, advocates in Connecticut want electric vehicle rebates expanded to include e-bikes, similar to what two Vermont utilities have done. (Energy News Network)
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CLIMATE: Ag giant Cargill is developing initiatives to help farmers profit from sequestering carbon dioxide. (GreenBiz)
COMMENTARY:
• A climate scientist says the COVID-19 pandemic is a “pop quiz” for the final exam on climate change. (Yale Climate Connections)
• “The call to ‘defund police’ isn’t that much of a stretch from divestment from the fossil fuel industry,” writes a black climate activist. (Grist)