This week in regular news, the U.S. Department of Labor is hosting a national online dialogue on “Opening America’s Workplaces Again” to hear from American workers and business owners about the challenges and opportunities they see as communities work to reopen so we can safely get economies back online. Much less serious and way more silly is TikTok floating the idea of making its television debut with the platform talking to independent production companies on creating a reality TV show. Hasbro has made a big comeback as boredom has spurred new board game fun as people spend more time at home as a family. While these headlines and more had us talking, we didn’t want you to miss out on our favorite stories in the energy industry. In case you missed out on last week’s, you can find those right here.

5Our supply chains need new links, and BP’s efforts to help in a time of crisis are providing those links.

Air BP donated 3 million gallons of jet fuel to FedEx and Alaska Airlines to help the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in distributing medical supplies across the U.S. The donation will support 45-chartered flights for FedEx, while Alaska Airlines portion will help to restore routes to the carrier, which is currently grounded due to a bankruptcy from the fallout of coronavirus. BP descends into the details here.

4Travel is getting an eco-boost without losing luxury.

An eco-friendly hotel in the Grand Cayman boasts solar power energy, LED lighting, recycled building materials – with the most intriguing feature – turtle friendly lighting. While the resort already holds luxury status, it goes above and beyond to ensure its sustainability efforts are right there at the top of the list. Learn more as Inhabitat talks about the Kimpton’s Seafire Resort here.

3Michael Moore’s latest film hit YouTube on Earth Day, but it wasn’t what anyone expected.

Planet of the Humans has sparked controversy among critics, energy producers and environmentalists alike. It’s no surprise that Moore and his documentary team have created a buzz around this latest movie – especially by releasing it on YouTube, making it readily available and free to the masses. What do you think of Moore’s latest documentary? Energy Central lets the filmmakers respond here.

2In addition to the International Energy Agency’s yearly releases, they’ve now included real-time data from the impacts of COVID-19.

As we’ve seen the impacts COVID has had on the health people around the world, the coronavirus has also impacted our global economies as well as CO2 emissions. While global energy demand fell 3.8% in the first quarter of 2020 alone, IEA calculates the numbers, and what they mean, here.

1The aviation industry could see a shift into biofuels.

The airline industry, among many others, has taken quite a hit from the pandemic. As companies shift how they use and produce energy resources, a unique idea for harvesting biofuels is making a blip on the aviation industry’s radar. CNN shows the rest of the manifest here.

In the past few weeks, we have seen thousands of ways that American people and companies have come together to help during the COVID-19 crisis, which has demonstrated just how fragile our critical supply chains are.

From frontline workers risking their lives every day to rapid shifts by industries to produce the products we need right now, the response has been as positive as the crisis has been negative.

The latest move to plug the gaps came today from BP, which donated 3 million gallons of jet fuel to FedEx and Alaska Airlines to literally fuel the delivery of personal protective equipment and other essential goods across the globe and into one of America’s remotest corners. BP also offsetting all of its carbon emissions by purchasing carbon credits.

The FedEx donation will fuel 45 FedEx Express flights to deliver critical medical supplies including ventilators, gowns and masks from international locations to the most at-risk communities in the U.S. All of this is happening in coordination with the Department of Human Health Services, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who will decide which places need the help most.

The BP jet fuel donation to Alaska Airlines is even more extraordinary because it’s restoring the routes on which everyday supplies travel in the state. Alaska Airlines is taking over routes by a local carrier that is grounded because of a COVID-19 related bankruptcy proceeding. It’s going to deliver food, medical supplies, mail and passengers to remote areas that are otherwise cut off.

All this is an early sign of the creativity, kindness and can-do spirit that businesses, government and ordinary Americans have always demonstrated in times of great crisis on our soil. It bodes well for our shared mission of reviving our economy, supply chains, people and country as we emerge from the pandemic.

On Monday, oil prices hit a record low and even dipped into negative territory spurring commentary across news and social media, but we were reassured that the market will even out. Protests broke out across the country against lock down orders, and healthcare workers silently counter protested for the lives they’re continually saving every day. And today, President Trump signed the approved $484 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program Act to help millions of small businesses who missed out on the first wave of funding. While these headlines, certainly had our heads spinning, we thought you might like a change in pace with our favorite energy stories from this week. In case you missed last week’s, you can find those right here.

5The University of Texas at Arlington is working to find new uses for the recycled materials that China is no longer taking from the U.S.

We currently have a surplus of recycled materials here in the States, but UTA researchers are using that surplus to test the sustainability of paving roads from recycled plastic. These roads reportedly last 8-13 times longer than typical asphalt. More studying is needed, and you can check out the progress from UTA here.

4Greenhouse gas emissions are definitely down across the U.S., but did you know that there’s been a 50% reduction in the dairy farming sector, too?

When we think about a glass of milk, we rarely think about all of the energy that goes into getting that milk from the cow and into our glass. In the last 50 years, the farming and agriculture industries have made great strides reducing emissions, and working on sustainability throughout their respective industries. Anthropocene Magazine walks us through just how much of a difference these improvements have made. Learn how milk does the Earth good here.

3Shifting into advanced technologies has been easier for some industries than others. Utility companies are leaning into artificial intelligence to learn more about electricity load shifts.

While it’s true that our office buildings, restaurants and other entertainment venues aren’t using nearly as much electricity as they did pre-coronavirus. We are still consuming almost as much as a community in our homes. Some utilities are investing in AI machine learning to get a better grip on these fluctuations. Venture Beat shares the details here.

2The Department of Energy is investing in carbon capture and utilization services (CCUS).

“Innovation over regulation” is key to reducing emissions in the U.S., according to Secretary of Energy, Dan Brouillette. When it comes to ensuring that we continue reducing emissions an investment in carbon capture is crucial. The DOE is offering up to $131 million for CCUS research and development projects, read more about the offer here.

1On Wednesday, Earth Day celebrated its 50^th Anniversary!

The Department of Energy certainly had a slew of programs available for (virtual) attendees of all ages. Our favorite was the special feature on energy savings, a topic we’re all too familiar with. American families spend roughly $2000 per year on home energy bills, but there are many ways to cut down on those costs. Tune in to the pre-recorded savings video here.

When the COVID-19 crisis hit, we saw a great shift in our industries across the country as they responded to the critical needs of the moment.

That’s what America always does in a time of crisis.

As we previously reported, large companies like Under Armour focused on producing cloth masks for healthcare workers and Ford and General Electric teamed up to convert normal production lines to build ventilators.

But one surprise for many people was how a company they mostly associate with gas pumps and drilling rigs is playing a central role in fighting COVID-19.

ExxonMobil ramped up its Baton Rouge plant’s production of isopropyl alcohol, a product its predecessor company invented that’s a key ingredient for disinfectants, hand sanitizers and medical wipes. As The Wall Street Journal said today:

“The oil giant recently noted in a press release that the state of New York has turned to the Baton Rouge plant for critical supplies. Gov. Andrew Cuomo should be grateful Exxon isn’t holding a grudge after the state’s four-year inquisition for allegedly deceiving itself about its climate impact, which finally ended last December when a state judge tossed the state lawsuit as entirely without merit.”

ExxonMobil also cranked up polypropylene production to a level that could provide enough of that ingredient to manufacture up to 200 million medical masks or 20 million gowns a month. It’s also working on a new kind of face shields.

Working with Boeing, Exxon plans to manufacture as many as 40,000 masks an hour. According to an Exxon engineer, this new design and production method won’t be vulnerable to the supply-chain hiccups that have led to widespread mask shortages.

Amen to that — American supply chains, American production and American companies coming together to innovate in a time of national need. The COVID-19 crisis has shown how vulnerable our supply chains are to the whims of foreign nations when it comes to securing the critical products we need.

Without being asked, our companies are stepping up.

There’s another lesson here. Oil and gas are key ingredients for thousands upon thousands of products we need and use every day.

The next time you hear the usual suspects shouting about how we don’t need oil and gas and vilifying the industry, just point them to the nearest hospital battling COVID-19 and ask them to repeat themselves.

You’re probably going to get silence.