University of California fully divests from fossil fuels

CLIMATE: The University of California announces its investment portfolios are now free of fossil fuels after the sale of more than $1 billion in assets, becoming the largest university system in the U.S. to do so. (Los Angeles Times)

ALSO:
• City and county officials in Missoula, Montana sign off on a climate change plan that includes strategies to address air quality. (NBC Montana)
• Google announces it will no longer build custom artificial intelligence tools to speed up oil and gas extraction. (Associated Press)

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COAL:
• The owner of two Powder River Basin mines has removed ​“coal” from its name and is making moves to shift its focus away from thermal coal and focus on metallurgical coal and other resources. (Wyoming Public Media)
• Peabody’s CEO says a subsidiary is laying off more than half of its workforce at a Colorado coal mine due to reduced demand driven by market volatility and the coronavirus pandemic. (Steamboat Pilot)
• Coal’s downturn is having a ripple effect in a Wyoming town heavily dependent on the railroad. (WyoFile)

OIL & GAS:
• New studies find unhealthy levels of formaldehyde and other pollutants in New Mexico’s oil and gas communities. (New Mexico Political Report)
• The BLM is reportedly deluged with requests for cutting oil and gas industry royalty payments or suspending oil leases. (E&E News, subscription)
• County officials approve $800,000 in additional funding for remediation of a Carlsbad, New Mexico brine well site in danger of collapse. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

CALIFORNIA: A new exploration of PG&E’s bankruptcy looks at the next steps in restructuring for the beleaguered utility. (Forbes)

HYDROGEN: An energy group with no commercial track record or financing announces a deal for a $55 million facility in Los Angeles County that will make hydrogen by using plasma heating technology to disintegrate paper recyclables. (Los Angeles Times)

SOLAR:
• The California Solar and Storage Association releases a plan to support the state’s solar industry during the coronavirus crisis. (Solar Power World)
• Utah’s Ute Mountain Ute Tribe secures a $246,000 grant that will enable it to place rooftop solar on its government buildings in White Mesa. (Salt Lake Tribune)

STORAGE:
• California regulators are considering seven battery projects totaling 423 MW that would help PG&E meet its share of a statewide procurement. (Greentech Media)
• An executive with California-based EDF Renewables North America says around 80% of its projects in development are solar, many with batteries attached. (Greentech Media)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: States and fleets continue to move ahead on electric trucks despite the coronavirus pandemic, with California providing a policy boost in April. (Transport Dive)

EFFICIENCY: Stockton, California enlists the help of an energy consultancy to cut energy costs and become the state’s first ​“Zero-Emission School District.” (news release)

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UTILITIES: A new study looks at a Colorado utility’s efforts to boost grid resiliency in the wake of a destructive 2018 fire. (Aspen Times)

COMMENTARY: A columnist explores how to best use stimulus funds on energy projects to combat climate change, citing Washington Public Power Supply System’s troubles with nuclear and coal-fired plants. (Bloomberg)