• PG&E Corp. said in a filing that the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the utility’s public disclosures and accounting of its losses from the 2015 Butte Fire and additional fires in Northern California from 2017 and 2018, including last year’s destructive Camp Fire. The filing said that PG&E could not predict the conclusion of the inquiry, nor its timing. (The New York Times)

• Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) approved a $119 billion, two-year budget that prevents the state from spending money to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The governor has praised the initiative, through which nine Northeastern states limit carbon emissions from large industrial producers, but state advisers’ reading of current law may have prevented Northam from a line-item veto of the ban. (The Washington Post)

• Exxon Mobil Corp. announced a planned $2 billion investment over three years to build a new polymer plant and an olefins plant at its petrochemical complex in Baytown, Texas. Exxon expects the endeavor will create 2,000 jobs during construction and comes amid an increase in light sweet crude production in the Permian Basin. (Reuters)

Presidential hopeful Inslee wants 100% clean energy by 2030
Bill Barrow, The Associated Press

Democratic presidential hopeful Jay Inslee, as part of his pledge to make combating climate change the top national priority, is calling for the nation’s entire electrical grid and all new vehicles and buildings to be carbon pollution free by 2030.

Dems grill top Interior lawyer alongside nominee who will investigate him
Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill

Seated together at the witness table at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing were Daniel Jorjani, the Department of Interior’s main legal adviser, and Mark Lee Greenblatt, who has been nominated to take over the office responsible for sorting through a number of potential ethical lapses from Interior’s highest-level employees.

After Oil, Washington Weighs Sanctions on Iran’s Other Sources of U.S. Dollars
Benoit Faucon and Ian Talley, The Wall Street Journal

The Trump administration is considering a more-aggressive enforcement of its economic sanctions on Iran—targeting more companies and financial institutions that do business with the Islamic Republic in an attempt to cut off lucrative sources of U.S. dollar-denominated hard currency, U.S. officials said.

Gavin Newsom officially kills twin Delta tunnels, eyes downsized CA water project
Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow, The Sacramento Bee

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration officially pulled the plug Thursday on the twin Delta tunnels, fulfilling Newsom’s pledge to downsize the project to a single pipe as he attempts to chart a new course for California’s troubled water-delivery system.

Oil prices poised for weekly drop as U.S. output climbs
Ahmad Ghaddar, Reuters

Oil prices were on track for sharp weekly declines on Friday as surging U.S. output countered production losses in sanctions-hit Iran and Venezuela.

US launches plan to choke off Iran’s energy exports, casting uncertainty over oil prices
Tom DiChristopher, CNBC

The United States sharply tightened energy sanctions against Iran on Thursday, seeking to cut the Islamic Republic’s exports to zero and ushering in a new era of uncertainty for the oil market.

Occidental shareholders criticize bid for Anadarko, Buffett financing
Jennifer Hiller, Reuters

Several major Occidental Petroleum Corp shareholders have voiced opposition to the oil company’s $38 billion bid for rival Anadarko Petroleum Corp that now includes a pricey financing deal with billionaire Warren Buffett.

Saudi oil output may rise in June, but U.S. may not get the extra exports it wants
Rania El Gamal and Dmitry Zhdannikov, Reuters

Saudi Arabia’s oil output may edge up in June, sources familiar with the kingdom’s policy said, but the extra crude may be used for domestic power generation rather than providing the boost to exports that Washington has been seeking.

Shell not ‘desperate’ to grow US shale despite Anadarko sale: CFO
Robert Perkins, S&P Global Platts

Shell is keen to grow its US shale oil portfolio but does not feel pressured to chase new acquisitions, as Occidental and Chevron battle for control of Anadarko’s Permian-rich upstream assets, Shell Chief Financial Officer Jessica Uhl said Thursday.

European buyers of U.S. gas bristle at terms
Sabina Zawadzki, Reuters

Trading executives at French, German and Spanish utilities said accelerating U.S. LNG production undoubtedly added liquidity and transparency to the growing global market.

ITC to reopen with limited marine activity after tank fire
Marissa Luck, Houston Chronicle

Six weeks after a chemical fire forced Mitsui’s  Intercontinental Terminal Company to shutter its massive chemical storage terminal in Deer Park, the company said it will reopen most of its docks with limited marine activity Thursday.

‘Denial of service’ attack caused grid cyber disruption: DOE
Blake Sobczak, E&E News

On March 5, an unidentified power company fell victim to a “cyber event” that interfered with operations but stopped short of causing blackouts, according to a DOE filing this week.

Duke Energy Shareholders Reject New York Comptroller Proposal on Political Spending
Dieter Holger, The Wall Street Journal

The proposal would have required the company to publish a report, updated semiannually, detailing its spending on political campaigns, including efforts to influence the public on referendums and elections.

Virginia regulators approve energy efficiency programs
The Associated Press

Virginia regulators have approved the first round of what’s set to be about $1 billion in new spending on energy efficiency programs designed to reduce the need to produce and distribute electricity.

U.S. seeks to challenge China’s electric-vehicle supply chain dominance
Ernest Scheyder, Reuters

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, the Alaska Republican who is chair of the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee, told Reuters she will introduce the Minerals Security Act alongside Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat.

Electric Cars and Solar Compete for the Same Parts
Gerald Porter Jr. and Brian Eckhouse, Bloomberg

Electric vehicles and solar tend to get lumped together as partners in the climate-friendly push to phase out fossil fuels. Now they’re competing head-to-head for high-tech components that have been in short supply.

DuPont to Shed Sustainability Units in Post-Split Profit Quest
Jack Kaskey, Bloomberg

Four of the six operations earmarked for sale have environmentally-oriented products including solar-panel materials and corn-derived Sorona textiles, as well as consulting services that help companies cut pollution and reduce energy use.

Tesla expects global shortage of electric vehicle battery minerals – sources
Ernest Scheyder, Reuters

Tesla Inc expects global shortages of nickel, copper and other electric-vehicle battery minerals down the road due to underinvestment in the mining sector, the company’s global supply manager for battery metals told an industry conference on Thursday, according to two sources.

Statehouses, Not the Sun, Drive Solar Energy Gaps
Joe Wertz, The Center for Public Integrity

In the solar energy race, some of the sunniest states — Louisiana, Kansas and Texas, to name a few — are overshadowed by much dimmer ones, including Vermont, New Jersey and Massachusetts, according to a Center for Public Integrity data analysis.

DOJ opens investigation into Kemper plant as Southern warns of possible ‘material impact’
Robert Walton, Utility Dive

Southern Co. revealed Wednesday that its utility subsidiary Mississippi Power is facing an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, related to the failed Kemper coal gasification plant, in its latest 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Consumer fee reduced under revised nuclear bailout bill
Mark Williams, The Columbus Dispatch

Republicans on a House subcommittee tweaked their clean-energy bill Thursday as House Democrats put out their own plan that would require the state to get half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2050.

Colorado House Sends Governor Climate Change Bill
Tripp Baltz, Bloomberg BNA

Colorado would set a 2050 goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent under a bill on its way to Gov. Jared Polis (D).

Climate change is a threat, but it could be an economic boon. We just took the first step.
U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), USA Today

We have a decade to figure out how to reverse global warming if we ever want to ensure a habitable planet for our children. It’s going to take a full, species-wide effort to figure out how to do so in a way that minimally disrupts our quality of life.

We can’t save the planet with half measures. We need to go all the way
Varshini Prakash, The Guardian

Some took issue with my criticism of the timeline of O’Rourke’s plan for being too sharp or unforgiving. They pointed out that this is the most ambitious climate platform yet proposed by a presidential candidate.

Natural disasters could be far less damaging with better building codes
William Bryant et al., The Hill

The truth, however, is that many of these newly rebuilt and repaired structures will face new hazards and natural disasters — whether it’s in the next five years or 50 years from now — and they will need to be prepared. Fortunately, there is a highly cost-effective strategy for ensuring that these structures can handle it: building codes.

The Green New Deal isn’t big enough
Ben Adler, The Washington Post

You never would know from these encomiums that the Green New Deal cannot stave off calamity by keeping the planet from warming 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial temperatures, the threshold endorsed by most scientists. That’s because, like the 1930s New Deal and the 1960s space program, the Green New Deal is focused on the United States.

Dockless Electric Scooter-related Injuries Study
Austin Public Health Department et al.

A total of 271 persons with potential e-scooters-related injuries were identified during the study period.