TRANSPORTATION: It’s unclear whether reducing speed limits in cities — which promotes safety and pedestrian-friendly streets — will result in decreased air pollution, experts say. (Energy News Network)
OVERSIGHT: Emergency orders from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio in response to the coronavirus outbreak test the limits of the board’s authority by allowing the chair and vice chair to take unilateral action if necessary. (Energy News Network)
UTILITIES:
• Exelon and its subsidiaries expect to operate under a pandemic preparedness plan through the end of the summer. (Utility Dive)
• Ohio regulators prohibit competitive gas and electricity supply companies from selling services door-to-door during the COVID-19 outbreak. (Utility Dive)
• DTE Energy takes several steps to limit spreading of the coronavirus as three employees test positive. (CBS Detroit)
GRID: A compliance filing this week by grid operator PJM quells some of the concerns raised by the renewable energy industry to federal regulators’ minimum offer price rule. (Utility Dive)
SOLAR:
• Despite lower forecasts for solar demand as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, analysts say clean energy demand will remain: “I think people will go back to work and build again.” (InsideClimate News)
• A northeastern Minnesota school district plans two solar projects involving solar heating and offsetting schools’ electricity consumption. (Lake County News Chronicle)
RENEWABLES: U.S. House Democrats want clean energy tax credits reinstated as part of $1 trillion in federal coronavirus stimulus funding. (E&E News, subscription)
NUCLEAR:
• Two southwestern Michigan nuclear plants expect to maintain power production while taking measures to stop the spread of coronavirus among employees. (St. Joseph Herald-Palladium)
• The Northwoods region of Wisconsin was once considered a potential storage site for radioactive nuclear waste from power plants. (WXPR)
OIL & GAS: The Trump administration seeks $3 billion from Congress to fill the county’s strategic petroleum reserves, which could help oil producers after crude prices crashed globally. (Associated Press)
WIND: A Kansas county delays planning discussions for commercial wind projects for at least a month due to ongoing concerns around the coronavirus. (Hutchinson News)
COMMENTARY: A clean energy advocate praises the appointment of Tyler Huebner to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, particularly as regulators consider pipeline projects. (Wisconsin State Journal)