CLIMATE: A United Nations initiative releases a plan that would help the U.S. reach net-zero emissions by 2050, projected to cost 0.4% of GDP while creating 2.5 million new jobs. (The Hill)

ALSO:
• A new analysis projects $11 trillion will be spent developing clean energy in the coming decades but will still not be enough to limit warming to 2 degrees celsius by 2100. (Bloomberg)
• The Trump administration is taking further steps to limit climate change communications from NOAA in the runup to the election. (New York Times)
• Advocates push Joe Biden to use financial regulation to help fight climate change if he is elected president. (Reuters)

SOLAR: A U.S. trade court rejects President Trump’s effort to expand solar tariffs, saying that proposed fees on two-sided panels could not be enforced. (E&E News)

WIND:
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo says the state is looking to procure another 600 MW of offshore wind and its main utility will solicit developers early next year. (Providence Journal)
Grid operators and offshore wind advocates tell federal regulators rules for transmission interconnections and cost allocation must be overhauled to allow for cost-efficient and timely additions of proposed projects. (RTO Insider, subscription)

GRID:
• A new report says electricity consumption in the U.S. is unlikely to fully rebound even as the coronavirus pandemic eases. (Houston Chronicle)
• Electricity-sector emissions and coal and gas use at power plants have already peaked because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report. (E&E News, subscription)

CLEAN ENERGY: A series of graphics shows how each state’s energy mix has changed from 2001 to 2019. (New York Times)

OIL & GAS:
The Bureau of Land Management approves a $4 billion oil project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. (Anchorage Daily News)
• Energy firms evacuate workers from offshore rigs as the Gulf Coast readies for Hurricane Zeta. (Reuters)

PIPELINES: A Native American group asks Minnesota regulators to investigate Enbridge’s recent pipeline capacity additions, arguing a Line 3 replacement and expansion project is no longer necessary. (Star Tribune)

NUCLEAR: The Oregon-based company behind the first small modular nuclear reactor complex in the U.S. faces significant safety questions. (Greentech Media)

COAL: The Trump administration finalizes a coal industry-backed rule that changes the timeline for how states respond to reports of mining violations. (Bloomberg Law)

POLITICS:
• Many Democrats see the Green New Deal as a winning issue even as President Trump tries to turn it into a wedge. (The Hill)
• President Trump is reportedly pushing for a federal report showing economic benefits of fracking, which observers see as a play to win votes in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. (Wall Street Journal/The Hill)
• North Carolina’s down-ballot races for lieutenant governor and the state legislature could shape the future of climate and clean energy policy in the state. (Energy News Network) 

COMMENTARY:
Vox writer David Roberts says the controversy over Joe Biden’s energy comments is “absurd,” noting that most Americans support action on climate change. 
• An energy think tank says securitization can help utilities retire uneconomic power plants more quickly, but policy support will be needed. (Greentech Media)
• A longtime energy consultant and regulatory staffer says efforts to revive the coal industry are “nostalgia, not serious policy.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

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.