** The Trump administration says the oil industry is in a “transition to greatness,” but a new report indicates demand for oil could be flattened through the next decade because of the coronavirus pandemic.
** President Trump is now two seats short of a Republican majority on the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a reliably pro-environment appellate court that has handed his administration defeats on important cases.
** Tesla completely reopens its Nevada Gigafactory, where it makes batteries for its electric cars and energy storage products, as well as parts for the Model 3. But Elon Musk’s defiance of a California county’s shelter-in-place directive could cost him customers.
** Energy trade groups say restriction of the Army Corps of Engineers’ nationwide permit for new oil and gas pipelines will increase prices and cause job losses.
** Conservation groups are suing Arch Coal, alleging methane pollution violations at the company’s mine in western Colorado.
** A Denver-based solar company announces the installation of a 431-kW solar carport for a Colorado electrical utility cooperative is complete.
** Ameren tells investors it is “transitioning to a cleaner generation profile” that includes adding 700 MW of wind while bringing coal down to 8% of its rate base by 2024.
** The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers starts a public comment period on Enbridge’s plan to build a tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac for the Line 5 pipeline. A tribe in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula enlists Indigenous and environmental law groups to help with its challenges to the Line 5 pipeline.
** Two members of Congress from Michigan join calls to oppose any attempts to give legal immunity to the oil, gas and coal industries in future COVID-19-related legislation.
** Senate Energy Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) introduced legislation Tuesday to protect critical electric infrastructure, such as bulk-power systems and natural gas pipelines. The Energy Infrastructure Protection Act “equips the federal government with additional tools to safeguard the utility industry’s sensitive information,” said Murkowski in statement.
** Another Powder River Basin coal mine has reduced its workforce in response to weak market conditions. Nearly 400 coal miners in the basin have been laid off as less electricity use during the coronavirus pandemic diminishes demand for coal-fired power.