Gulf of Mexico oil drilling leases hit a new low

PIPELINES: A Natural Resources Defense Council attorney discusses what Supreme Court justices are considering in the case over a key Atlantic Coast Pipeline permit. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: A Houston pipeline operator looks to cut costs as oil demand slows and oil prices drop. (Houston Chronicle)

OFFSHORE DRILLING: Bidding on federal oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico hit their lowest point since sales began in 2017, and environmental groups file a federal complaint alleging the sale was approved without analyzing risks. (Associated Press)

SOLAR:
• A Virginia electric cooperative and renewables company partner to build 15 distributed solar projects across three states. (Power Engineering)
• A Henderson, Kentucky, utility approves a power purchase agreement that will allow solar energy to power about half the city’s operations. (The Gleaner)

EMISSIONS: Shareholder efforts to force utilities like Dominion Energy to slash greenhouse gas emissions hit roadblocks in the courts. (S&P Global)

STORAGE: Virginia’s new clean energy bill creates a new market for energy storage, analysts say. (Greentech Media, subscription)

OIL & GAS: The fallout from coronavirus concerns could devastate the plastic and fracking industries in West Virginia and throughout Appalachia, financial analysts say. (EHN)

CLIMATE: Younger Republicans in Texas, as well as some incumbents, are starting to shift the party’s attitude on climate change. (Texas Monthly)

LOBBYING: A growing Charlotte, North Carolina, energy trade association is expanding into South Carolina. (Charlotte Business Journal, subscription) 

COMMENTARY: Some utilities in the Southeast still have not implemented moratoriums on electricity shut-offs during the coronavirus pandemic and need to be pressured to do so, an energy group says. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)