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)

***SPONSORED LINK: Applications are now open for the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship, a yearlong program for high-performing, high-potential military veterans in advanced energy, presented by the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Learn more at www.vetsenergyproject.org/fellowship.***

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)

***SPONSORED LINK: Do you know someone who works hard to facilitate the transition to a clean energy economy? Nominate yourself or someone you know for Energy News Network’s 40 Under 40 today.*** 

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)

 

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.