‘Uncharted territory’ as oil prices continue to slide

OIL & GAS: Oil prices continue to fall this morning after plummeting into ​“completely uncharted territory” on Monday, with crude futures trading for as low as negative $37 per barrel Monday. (Washington Post, E&E News)

ALSO:
• The reason: oil is still being pumped out of the ground despite plunging demand, and we’re running out of places to physically store it. (Slate)
• ​“This is a great time to buy oil,” President Trump said Monday night at a coronavirus task force news briefing. (NBC News)
• The main source of funding to study the ongoing fallout from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill is set to expire by the end of this year. (Earther)

***SPONSORED LINK: Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy has an exciting opportunity for an energetic and strategic leader to drive our climate work: Join our team as MCEA’s Climate Program Director! Apply here.***

POLLUTION: An annual report from the American Lung Association finds several California cities had the worst air quality in the U.S. from 2016-2018, making residents more vulnerable to coronavirus. (San Francisco Chronicle)

SOLAR:
• Addressing the solar industry’s diversity problem has become even harder because of the threat of the coronavirus pandemic. (HuffPost)
• General Motors plans to offset all of its power usage at its southeastern Michigan facilities in three years with wind and solar. (Detroit Free Press)
• A dark money group files a fast-track petition with federal regulators that could lay the groundwork to undermine state control over net metering. (Energy News Network archive, Greentech Media)
• Solar and storage company SunPower suspends all manufacturing and cuts hours for thousands of workers due to the pandemic. (Greentech Media)

WIND:
• Vestas announces 400 job cuts, mostly in Denmark, but says it will continue delivering turbines to U.S. customers through 2020. (Greentech Media)
• More than 100 people associated with a North Dakota wind turbine factory have tested positive for COVID-19. (Reuters)
• A major Southeastern wind project faces a challenge from Texas regulators, but developers say it may not require approval from all states involved. (S&P Global)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• Experts are divided over whether Monday’s oil price collapse will have a long-term impact on the adoption of clean energy. (Los Angeles Times)
• New York’s state energy authority is working on plans to jump-start the state’s clean energy sector after the coronavirus shutdown. (Politico)

PIPELINES:
• A stream crossing permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline could stay on hold even longer depending on a ruling over Keystone XL pipeline. (Roanoke Times)
• Two environmental groups file a federal lawsuit aiming to stop a proposed underground natural gas pipeline from Idaho to Wyoming, citing threats to wildlife. (Associated Press)

COAL: Citigroup says it will stop providing financial services to thermal coal-mining companies over the next decade. (Bloomberg)

CLIMATE:
• A New York City environmental justice group says COVID-19 underscores the vulnerability of low-income communities to emissions and the effects of climate change. (Politico)
• Youth activists pressure Southeastern mayors to take action on renewable energy and climate change. (Sierra Magazine)

BIOGAS: A Wisconsin company is the first to join a new renewable gas tracking system that could help monetize the environmental benefits of captured methane. (Energy News Network)

BIOFUELS: More ethanol plants are trying to make up for lost demand by selling alcohol used in hand sanitizer, but most won’t be able to offset losses. (Reuters)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join a dynamic and growing organization that works to deliver Midwest renewable energy through policy, technical, and regulatory avenues. Clean Grid Alliance is hiring a Vice President—State Policy to be part of our team. Learn more and apply today!***

TECHNOLOGY: Several utilities are using artificial intelligence and machine learning to address changes in energy usage as a result of shelter-in-place directives. (Venture Beat)

COMMENTARY:
• The oil and gas industry was already in long-term decline before the pandemic, and President Trump and Republicans appear likely to waste billions of stimulus dollars slowing the transition to clean energy, David Roberts writes. (Vox)
• Excluding clean energy from stimulus funding during the coronavirus economic downturn is ​“bad for jobs, veterans, and national security,” says the founder of the Veterans Advanced Energy Project. (Energy News Network)