SOLAR: The coronavirus pandemic is hitting residential solar installers particularly hard, especially those that rely on selling systems door-to-door or having customers sign long-term contracts. (Greentech Media)
ALSO:
• The federal government has delayed a permit for a large solar farm in Nevada over concerns about its potential impact on a historic trail. (Reuters)
• The pandemic could delay construction of 5 gigawatts of utility-scale solar projects in the U.S., according to Wood Mackenzie research. (Greentech Media)
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CLEAN ENERGY:
• The coronavirus has created uncertainty for state clean energy legislation, electric vehicle sales, rooftop solar and climate action. (InsideClimate News)
• State officials representing over a quarter of the country’s power sales announce a new coalition centered on 100% carbon-free targets. (E&E News)
• Iberdrola, parent of U.S developer Avangrid Renewables, says it plans to “turbo-charge” development as soon as work is able to resume. (Greentech Media)
GRID:
• House Democrats’ next economic stimulus package includes $34.3 billion for grid security and modernization. (Bloomberg)
• California’s grid operator is increasingly curtailing renewable energy as the demand for solar power lessens due to the coronavirus crisis. (Greentech Media)
OIL & GAS:
• The oil and gas industry’s pandemic wish list to President Trump includes a measure that could speed the criminalization of fossil fuel protests. (Drilled)
• Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says oil companies are eligible for aid from new lending programs being set up by the Federal Reserve. (Axios)
• President Trump does not plan to ask U.S. oil producers for a coordinated cut in production, according to a senior administration official. (Reuters)
• Talk of negative oil prices is increasing because of the coronavirus crisis and increasing market volatility. (E&E News)
PIPELINES: Legal experts anticipate recent federal court rulings involving environmental reviews for the Dakota Access pipeline to fuel an uptick in environmental cases that take a similar approach. (Bloomberg Law)
COAL: Murray Energy wants the federal government to take over health care payments to its retirees as the company navigates the bankruptcy process. (Wheeling News-Register)
POLICY:
• Statewide clean energy legislation across the country is largely on hold as lawmakers press pause during the pandemic. (E&E News, subscription)
• New York lawmakers agree on a state budget that includes streamlined permits for large renewable projects and a fracking ban. (Albany Times Union)
• Oregon environmentalists still aim to have a climate measure calling for 100% carbon-free resources by 2045 on the November ballot thanks to a $1 million loan. (Portland Business Journal, subscription)
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OVERSIGHT: The U.S. EPA extends a deadline for public comment on the agency’s proposed rule limiting use of studies containing private data. (The Hill)
COMMENTARY:
• It’s a shame that it took a pandemic to show us how much more livable and healthier our cities could be without vehicle pollution, an urban affairs professor writes. (American Prospect)
• Claims that building the Keystone XL pipeline now will strengthen energy security are “obvious nonsense” given the record glut of oil, Bill McKibben writes. (New Yorker)
• Gutting fuel economy standards during a pandemic is “peak Trump,” complete with petty motivations and incompetent execution, David Roberts writes. (Vox)