Energy news in brief

** The city council in Iowa City rejects a proposed lease agreement for a MidAmerican Energy solar project due to residents’ conservation concerns.

** Electric truck startup Rivian delays the launch of two models as the coronavirus causes a production slowdown at the company’s Illinois plant.

** An Ohio-based electric vehicle startup receives a letter of intent from a Florida company seeking to order 1,000 electric trucks.

** South Dakota ethanol producers and the farmers who provide them with corn face a financial crisis.

** Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa asks the Agriculture Department to help the biofuel industry weather low prices and plant closures due to the coronavirus.

** The U.S. energy efficiency sector is experiencing mass layoffs from the coronavirus as utility and state programs shut down across the country.

** Montana regulators voted 3-2 against a proposal to host a forum on climate change issues relevant to energy policy.

** Peabody Energy announces workforce reductions at its Powder River Basin mines for the second consecutive month. 

** Endangered species of fish in Colorado’s Yampa River valley could benefit from the closure of coal-fired power stations.

** Despite plummeting prices, the Trump administration remains determined to drill for oil and gas in northern Alaska during the coronavirus crisis.

** Wall Street analysts say the oil industry will be “permanently altered” by the coronavirus crisis, citing impacts on Wyoming producers.