COAL: Appalachia and Wyoming coal communities are vital revenue engines, but amid a decline in coal and the pandemic, they’re facing devastation with little time to adjust to new realities. (Energy News Network)
ALSO: Tennessee coal company Contura Energy will idle an underground mine in West Virginia. (S&P Global)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Virginia regulators are asking utilities, companies, organizations and residents to weigh in on the deployment of electric vehicles in the state. (Energy News Network)
UTILITIES:
• The Tennessee Valley Authority will allow municipal utilities and electric cooperatives for the first time to generate up to 5% of their own power to sell directly to customers. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
• South Carolina utility Santee Cooper extends the contracts of two executives amid continuing debate by state lawmakers on whether or not to sell the companyit. (Associated Press)
RENEWABLES: The U.S. is the most attractive country for renewable energy investors, according to a report by a consulting firm — and one analyst says Houston, Texas, could help lead the way. (Houston Public Media)
SOLAR:
• By the end of June, two of five new Florida solar farms are expected to be in operation and providing power to six Florida municipal utilities. (Orlando Sentinel)
• A Little Rock, Arkansas, solar company will begin construction this week on a long-awaited solar project for the city of Hot Springs. (Arkansas Business)
PIPELINES:
• While Dominion seeks a two-year extension for construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, opponents are challenging its 2017 FERC approval, asking whether the project is really needed. (NC Policy Watch, Virginia Mercury)
• Blanco County, Texas, residents sue Kinder Morgan, alleging the pipeline company violated the Clean Water Act when pumping 36,000 gallons of drilling fluid into an aquifer. (Austin American-Statesman)
OFFSHORE DRILLING: The Trump administration overrules North Carolina’s objection to seismic testing for offshore drilling off the coast, allowing companies to submit permits. (NC Policy Watch)
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OIL & GAS: At least four Louisiana oil and gas companies have filed for bankruptcy in recent weeks due to the economic downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. (The Advocate)
COMMENTARY: Virginia can’t afford to keep outdated building efficiency standards, a longtime Sierra Club volunteer says. (Virginia Mercury)