"It was Wednesday, March 11, when life began to turn upside down for Lee Householder and his 42 employees at Project:Homes, a nonprofit that does energy efficiency retrofits in Virginia."
"The nation's largest source of energy jobs — the energy efficiency sector — is experiencing mass layoffs from the coronavirus as utility and state programs shut down across the country, according to contractors and industry representatives."
"Oil faces a critical week as Saudi Arabia, Russia and other global producers work frantically to secure a deal aimed at stemming the crash in oil prices. The former partners-in-cuts traded barbs over the weekend over who’s to blame for crude’s crash, which led to a virtual meeting being re-scheduled for April 9."
"President Donald Trump has upended the panel of federal watchdogs overseeing implementation of the $2 trillion coronavirus law, tapping a replacement for the Pentagon official who was supposed to lead the effort."
"President Trump, who met last week at the White House with oil company executives and lawmakers, said over the weekend he'd wield tariffs if needed to protect the oil industry, which is reeling from a global glut in supply."
"The United Nations’ biodiversity chief has called for a global ban on wildlife markets – such as the one in Wuhan, China, believed to be the starting point of the coronavirus outbreak – to prevent future pandemics."
"Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin asking him to ensure that U.S. oil and gas companies can get federal loans provided for businesses in the coronavirus stimulus package."
"A law firm that previously employed President Donald Trump’s interior secretary has, for several years, represented Saudi Arabia, the petroleum-rich nation that recently launched an oil price war that could bankrupt U.S. fossil fuel producers."
While the COVID-19 outbreak may be absorbing most of the world’s attention, the latest TipSheet advises journalists not to back-burner climate-related energy reporting, as industries and activists continue lobbying for new energy stimulus measures from Congress. On the watch list: tax breaks, airline emission cuts, infrastructure, fossil fuel industry bailouts and more.
"The White House is inviting the country's top oil executives to a meeting tomorrow [Friday] about the oil crisis as a wave of layoffs, spending cuts and bankruptcies send shock waves through the industry."
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