CLIMATE: Employees at federal agencies are increasingly undermining climate science in order to protect their jobs, documents and interviews show. (New York Times)
ALSO:
• Critics fear Duke Energy’s 2020 climate report charts a business-as-usual pathway for natural gas that conflicts with North Carolina’s energy goals. (Energy News Network)
• New Mexico is already seeing signs of progress in implementing its landmark 2019 climate law, but also faces numerous obstacles. (E&E News)
• Vermont legislators were poised to enact major climate initiatives this year until the coronavirus pandemic hit. (VT Digger)
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COAL: While Murray Energy’s bankruptcy case could soon wrap up, it doesn’t resolve questions about how long the struggling coal industry can last with competition from natural gas and renewables. (Energy News Network)
POLLUTION: Former members of an EPA science panel publish their findings calling for tougher particulate standards, calling it “egregious and unconscionable” to leave weaker rules in place. (Utility Dive)
OIL & GAS:
• The U.S. lost more than 100,000 oil and gas jobs due to the economic downturn from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report from an energy company. (Houston Chronicle)
• Calling the practice “a gratuitous display of oversupply,” a new report estimates $750 million worth of natural gas was flared in the Permian Basin in 2018. (Houston Chronicle)
PIPELINES: Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoes a bill that would have increased penalties for trespassing on pipelines, levees and other “critical infrastructure” facilities. (InsideClimate News)
POWER PLANTS: The owner of New England’s largest fossil fuel plant wants to keep operating after its subsidies end in 2024 as residents want it to close as the owner had previously agreed. (Boston Globe)
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Following the botched demolition of a former coal plant in Chicago, a city alderman wants the power to revoke tax incentives from developers who put residents’ health and safety at risk. (Chicago Sun-Times)
WIND: Wisconsin regulators deny a request by landowners to stop construction of a 65 MW wind project. (Wisconsin State Journal)
SOLAR: A Michigan energy educator encourages rural solar projects to incorporate livestock and pollinator habitat. (Yale Climate Connections)
BIOFUELS: U.S. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota introduces a bill to provide additional certainty for ethanol producers looking to produce sanitizer. (Pierre Capital Journal)
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ACTIVISM: Staff members at a major environmental group confront their leadership over a Trump-supporting board member. (HuffPost)
COMMENTARY:
• Researchers say Americans support simultaneous action on racial inequality and climate. (Washington Post)
• Advanced energy advocates continue pushing Michigan regulators to improve voluntary green pricing programs that make corporate renewable energy purchases easier. (Energy News Network)
• New York City’s former transportation commissioner says the risk of taking transit during the COVID-19 pandemic has been overstated. (The Atlantic)
• “Trump is full of something, but it’s not results”: A columnist examines the president’s promise to rescue the coal industry. (Washington Post)