Coal company earnings will fall by 50% in 2020 as a result of a combination of underlying weak fundamentals and the effects the COVID-19 economic slowdown, according to a new report from Moody’s Investors Service.

Jolene Thompson, president and CEO of American Municipal Power, Inc. in Columbus, Ohio, was installed as chair of the American Public Power Association Board of Directors during APPA’s Public Power Connect: Virtual Summit & Business Meeting on June 9.

Except in extreme scenarios, rising wildfire risks are manageable for California's publicly owned electric utilities, Moody's Investors Service said in a recent report.

Supporting virus research, securing critical infrastructure and stabilizing the energy markets are all key actions that the Department of Energy has taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mark Menezes, Under Secretary of Energy, said on June 8.

In a recent survey of utility executives by Siemens and the Ponemon Institute, more than half of the respondents said that cyber attacks are on the rise. In addition, the nature of the attacks has shifted in recent years.

Desmarie Waterhouse, the American Public Power Association’s Vice President, Government Relations & Counsel, and other APPA government relations staff on June 8 provided a detailed overview of public power’s legislative priorities including assistance for utilities related to the COVID-19 pandemic.