OIL & GAS: Amid an economic downturn and unpredictable policy statements, the oil industry is donating significantly less to President Trump’s re-election campaign than it has for previous GOP candidates. (Bloomberg)

ALSO:
• BP announces it will cut 15% of its global workforce, or about 10,000 employees. (Reuters)
• A new report details how New Mexico’s oil and gas industry spends millions to influence the state’s policy-making decisions. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

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EFFICIENCY: Business groups in Rhode Island and Connecticut urge temporary suspension of efficiency surcharges to provide companies financial relief; advocates say the move would cause further harm to the efficiency sector. (Energy News Network) 

SOLAR: South Carolina’s largest utility and a wholesale power aggregator join forces in seeking proposals from 30 solar developers to produce up to 500 MW of power. (WRDW)

COAL:
• Murray Energy issues layoff notices for more than 1,500 workers, citing billions of dollars in debt and reduced demand as it moves through bankruptcy. (Wheeling News-Register)
• A southern Illinois power cooperative plans to retire its largest coal unit as early as this fall, which is expected to save $125 million over a decade. (Southern Illinoisan)
• A 70-year-old Colorado coal miner, currently laid off amid the coronavirus pandemic, explains why he can’t wait to get back to work. (Denver Post)

PIPELINES:
• Enbridge, North America’s largest pipeline developer, announces plans to focus more on natural gas and renewable energy. (Financial Post)
• Environmentalists fear a new federal rule in response to New York’s rejection of an undersea pipeline on Clean Water Act grounds could revive projects already delayed or dropped. (InsideClimateNews)
• Black residents of several Virginia counties oppose a plan for a natural gas project in their communities, telling regulators its location was chosen because of environmental racism. (Bay Journal)

NUCLEAR: Even if Georgia Power finishes Plant Vogtle construction on time, it will still be $1 billion over its current budget. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The pandemic could cause a supply shortage of key metals used to produce electric vehicle batteries, though drops in EV demand could be more pronounced than effects on battery supplies, according to a report. (E&E News, subscription)

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UTILITIES: Duke Energy, which has been criticized for building polluting projects in communities of color, says it will contribute $1 million to nonprofits committed to social justice and racial equity. (Florida Politics)

COMMENTARY:
• A utility executive and consumer advocate promote a program to help customers in financial stress manage their unpaid bills that is already in place in multiple states. (Utility Dive)
• Bloomberg writers outline 26 ways the coronavirus recovery can lead to a clean energy future. 

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.