EMISSIONS: A new study finds that the Permian Basin’s oil fields are leaking enough methane to supply seven million households, more than two times higher than federal estimates. (InsideClimate News)

ALSO:
• Houston unveils a climate action plan that calls for adopting a new building code, promoting mass transit, and reducing solid waste. (Houston Chronicle)
• Microsoft’s climate “moonshot” pledge to be carbon negative by 2030 leans heavily on nascent technology that sucks carbon out of the air. (The Guardian)

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CLEAN ENERGY:
• Battery storage, smart grid and energy efficiency companies raised $252 million in venture capital funding in the first quarter of 2020, a 20% increase over the same time period last year. (Utility Dive)
• Advocates in Massachusetts say clean energy can be a way to revive the economy after the coronavirus pandemic passes. (Energy News Network)
• New Hampshire Democrats say they will push renewable energy development as an economic recovery solution post COVID-19. (NHPR)

STORAGE: NextEra Energy says it will spend $1 billion on battery storage projects in 2021, including a major storage center in Florida, and add solar through its utility, Florida Power & Light. (Greentech Media)

SOLAR: Philadelphia reopens its solar financing program for homes and businesses that it says is the biggest of its kind in the country. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

WIND: The world’s second-largest wind turbine manufacturer, Siemens Gamesa, pulls its 2020 financial guidance due to pandemic uncertainty. (Greentech Media)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Ohio startup Lordstown Motors still plans to debut its electric pickup truck this summer. (CNET)

GRID:
• The coronavirus pandemic is slowing grid edge investments such as distributed energy, sensors and smart meters, according to analysts. (Greentech Media)
Illinois regulators join a lawsuit against a recent FERC decision they say will increase costs and discriminate against renewable energy. (Utility Dive)

OIL & GAS:
• U.S. shale producers, refiners and pipeline companies face likely restructuring in bankruptcies amid the worst crisis the industry has ever faced. (Reuters)
• Oil and gas industry groups and company officials say President Trump’s plan to fill the U.S. emergency crude oil reserves won’t be enough to help. (Reuters)
• Offshore oil drillers shut off wells in the Gulf of Mexico following a collapse in crude prices, and some executives worry it may take years for the industry to recover. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)

PIPELINES: Enbridge asks the Michigan Public Service Commission to declare that the company doesn’t need a state permit to build an underground tunnel for the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. (Bridge)

NUCLEAR: Officials say more than 100 employees at a Georgia nuclear plant have tested positive for COVID-19. (WRDW)

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FINANCE:
• New York pension officials join a push to remove Lee Raymond from JPMorgan Chase’s board because of his track record on climate change. (Bloomberg)
Advocates for fossil fuel divestment at Yale run for seats on the university’s boards, following a similar effort at Harvard. (Quartz)

COMMENTARY:
• Using stimulus money to electrify postal service vehicles would be a win-win-win proposal for the entire country, David Roberts writes. (Vox)
Pew Charitable Trusts’ vice president advocates for removing dams where science shows they do more harm than good. (The Hill)

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.