Discover the Latest News and Initiatives for a Sustainable Future

ELECTRIFICATION: A new Department of Energy program aims to help manufacturers develop next-generation heat pumps that can replace large buildings’ rooftop heating and cooling systems and save U.S. businesses as much as $5 billion annually. (Utility Dive)

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ALSO: Clean energy advocates and professional cooks continue to work to electrify restaurant kitchens and homes in Berkeley, California, even after a court shot down the city’s natural gas-hookup ban. (Guardian)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• While the average electric vehicle today gets the equivalent of 106 miles per gallon, new technology could double that number to more than 200 in the coming decades, a report suggests. (Washington Post)
• An appeals court upholds the U.S. EPA’s decision to allow California to set its own electric vehicle sales mandates and tailpipe emissions limits. (Reuters)

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OIL & GAS:

• Federal officials approve the construction of a deepwater oil export facility off the Texas Gulf Coast that will be the largest oil export terminal in the U.S. (Houston Chronicle)
• Democratic senators join climate advocates at a protest decrying utilities that spend ratepayer money on fossil fuel lobbying. (Guardian)
• House Democrats call out Republicans for conditioning Ukraine aid on an increase in natural gas exports. (The Hill)

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EMISSIONS:

• The U.S. EPA issues a new rule requiring more than 200 chemical plants to reduce toxic emissions that are likely to cause cancer, winning praise from environmental justice advocates in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley.” (Associated Press, WWNO)
• San Jose, New York, and San Francisco top a ranking of cities whose transit systems have the biggest impact on reducing transportation emissions. (Axios)

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GRID:

• The U.S. Department of Energy awards about $5 million each to three organizations to tackle key research and development barriers to long duration energy storage. (Utility Dive)
• Development of advanced transmission lines remains stalled over cost concerns even as top U.S. officials and new reports make a case for their potential to carry up to four times more power than conventional lines. (E&E News, subscription)
• Texas solar and battery installations are growing so much that federal energy officials say there’s less need for natural gas generation during the day. (U.S. Energy Information Administration, PV Magazine)
• Vermont utility Green Mountain Power used its residential customers’ battery storage systems to offset the drop in solar power during Monday’s total eclipse. (WCAX)

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NUCLEAR: Experts are divided on whether Georgia Power’s costly, long-delayed expansion of its nuclear Plant Vogtle heralds a new era for nuclear power development or will discourage future investment in the power source. (Grist)

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SOLAR: New York officials confirm Tesla’s Buffalo solar panel factory uses panels made by a competitor on its roof, not its own product. (Investigative Post)

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CLIMATE:

• Bloomberg Philanthropies awards $50,000 each to 100 cities worldwide to launch youth-led climate programs. (Grist)
• Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa says her positions on conservation, reducing emissions and being a clean energy-leading country drove her interest in chairing the Conservative Climate Caucus. (Daily Iowan)

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GRID: The New England grid operator’s newest transmission study finds the region has to spend up to $26 billion over the next 26 years to bulk up its transmission network — a large sum but roughly comparable to spending in recent decades. (CommonWealth Beacon)

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ALSO: Two Connecticut municipalities sue to stop a state-approved transmission line expansion, calling the plan an “aesthetic eyesore and an unjust blight.” (Only In Bridgeport)

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SOLAR:

• New England’s grid operator estimates solar production dropped 4 GW during Monday’s total eclipse. (Concord Monitor/Granite Geek)
• A Connecticut solar developer describes how a focus on operations and maintenance during the construction phase has helped keep one of the state’s larger solar arrays on track to hit its milestones. (Solar Power World)
• In Pennsylvania’s Lebanon County, an egg farm and an auto repair shop receive U.S. Department of Agriculture grants to install solar panels on their properties. (Leb Town)

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COAL: Federal energy analysts believe April coal exports will be slashed by about a third because of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and subsequent Port of Baltimore closure. (The Hill)

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BUILDINGS:

• Washington, D.C.’s city council advances a plan to electrify 30,000 low-income homes by 2040, but the mayor proposes to direct the funds elsewhere amid a broader budget problem. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• A Pennsylvania agency kicks off a residential loan program to help homeowners access affordable financing for energy efficiency projects. (news release)
• The Delaware Energy Efficiency Advisory Council hears updates from a utility and a consultancy on the progress being made toward bringing a gas efficiency program to life and updating building codes. (DPM)

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NUCLEAR:

• A new report from the U.S Government Accountability Office says federal nuclear regulators should be more mindful of climate change’s impact on nuclear plants, including New Hampshire’s Seabrook station. (SeaCoast Online)
• A federal report suggests potential transportation routes for removing 125 casks of nuclear waste being stored at the Indian Point station in New York, including a barge trip down the Hudson River. (LoHud)

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STORAGE: Pennsylvania’s utility commission issues new battery storage guidelines for utilities that allow them to use non-wires distribution reliability projects and possibly own them on a case-by-case basis. (Utility Dive)

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UTILITIES:

• Two New England senators join activists calling on the country’s largest gas sector association to stop using ratepayer’s bills to pay for climate disinformation campaigns. (E&E News, The Guardian)
• Maryland utility customers will briefly see higher bills as the state fixes how utilities recover costs for its energy efficiency program, which until now has caused customers to pay ballooning interest. (Fox 45)

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CLEAN ENERGY: A town in Massachusetts’ Berkshires region is undertaking weatherization measures, installing electric vehicle chargers and installing solar arrays to achieve net-zero by 2050. (Berkshire Eagle)

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TRANSIT: Rhode Island’s public transit agency says piloting no fares on its most popular bus route increased ridership by nearly 100,000 riders but cost it $2.7 million, calling the cost unsustainable. (Rhode Island Current)

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EQUITY:

• Acadia National Park receives a $950,000 federal grant to blend western science and Wabanaki indigenous knowledge and develop climate mitigation projectss. (Portland Press Herald)
• A New York City public housing complex hasn’t had gas for cooking since January, when post-hurricane reconstruction efforts damaged the line, requiring residents to rely on take-out for months. (City Limits)
• A New York City workforce development program hopes to connect Black and Brown communities with climate education and jobs to reduce income inequality. (NextCity)

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GRID: California’s grid operator proposes $6.1 billion in transmission projects aimed at increasing reliability and providing access to solar, geothermal and wind resources in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and offshore. (Utility Dive)

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ALSO:

• The Southwest Power Pool formally proposes a day-ahead power market for Western utilities, setting up a competition with the California grid operator’s rival plan. (Utility Dive)
• Federal investigators offer a $25,000 reward for information regarding a 2023 attack on an electrical substation in southern California. (Press-Telegram)

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UTILITIES: Arizona advocates campaign for positions on a Salt River Project’s board with hopes of prodding the Phoenix-area utility to adopt more clean energy generation. (Capital & Main)

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SOLAR:

• The Biden administration awards California agricultural producers $6 million to install solar systems to power their operations. (news release)
• Colorado launches a grant program aimed at helping local and tribal governments implement automated solar permitting software. (news release)

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CLEAN ENERGY: Idaho lawmakers pass a resolution supporting clean energy technologies such as green hydrogen production and advanced nuclear reactors. (KMVT)

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NUCLEAR: Bill Gates-backed TerraPower applies for a federal permit to construct a proposed 345 MW sodium-cooled nuclear reactor in a Wyoming coal town. (World Nuclear News)

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HYDROPOWER: An Arizona utility moves forward with a proposed 1,000 to 2,000 MW pumped hydropower energy storage project outside Phoenix, but predicts construction wouldn’t begin until 2027. (KJZZ)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Colorado launches the nation’s first statewide electric bicycle tax credit giving residents a $450 discount at the point of sale. (CBS News)

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OIL & GAS:

• The Biden administration plans to issue a highly-anticipated decision this summer on oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a lawsuit seeking to overturn Trump-era leases there winds through the courts. (Alaska Beacon)
• New Mexico’s petroleum industry claims new federal rules aimed at reducing methane emissions could hamper drilling even as the Permian Basin continues to set oil-production records. (Carlsbad Current-Argus, subscription)

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CLIMATE:

• Washington state researchers experiment with brightening marine clouds to deflect the sun’s rays and temporarily cool the earth in an effort to mitigate the effects of climate change. (New York Times)
• Phoenix passes and ordinance aimed at protecting outdoor workers from climate change-exacerbated extreme heat. (EcoWatch)
• A study finds California emits more sulfuryl fluoride, a toxic pesticide and potent greenhouse gas, than the rest of the lower 48 states combined. (Inside Climate News)

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POWER PLANTS: As economic growth drives new electricity demand, utilities such as Georgia Power look to natural gas as a quick fix, but customers and clean energy advocates say the strategy lacks ambition and ignores the giant pool of federal money currently available for cleaner alternatives. (Grist/WABE)

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ALSO: A new report urges state regulators to be skeptical about “a panicked rush” to build new gas plants and says utilities could mitigate near-term load growth with a myriad of tech and policy solutions. (Latitude Media)

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GRID: Software and smart meters are unlocking new potential for price-based demand response — using variable rates to change customer behavior — with Georgia Power and Entergy Louisiana among the utilities exploring the concept as a way to manage loads. (Utility Dive)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The shift to electric vehicles in North Carolina is happening faster than state officials anticipated, with electric vehicle registrations surpassing a state goal two years ahead of schedule with more than 80,000 on the road. (WRAL)  

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SOLAR: The developer of a Virginia solar project informs county officials that it is withdrawing its application for a special use permit. (Farmville Herald)

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COAL:

• The Baltimore bridge collapse has cut off access to a port that ships about a quarter of West Virginia’s total coal exports. (MetroNews)
• A federal official announces $23 million in infrastructure law funding to help reclaim abandoned coal mines in Virginia. (WVTF)
• The director of an Appalachian nonprofit talks about its work planting native trees to regrow forests on former coal mine sites. (Daily Yonder)

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CLIMATE: Indoor farming offers producers steady growing conditions amid increasingly unpredictable weather, but their energy consumption represents a potential threat that could worsen climate change. (Washington Post)

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COMMENTARY: Duke Energy’s proposed carbon plan in North Carolina ignores a 2030 emissions target, doubles down on fossil fuels, and leans too heavily on expensive, unproven technology, an advocacy group writes. (SELC)

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The Maine House rejected a bill Wednesday that would direct regulators to explore performance-based ratemaking for Central Maine Power and Versant, which last year beat back a referendum to replace the companies with a consumer-owned model.

The House voted 75-67 against LD 2172, sponsored by Rep. Gerry Runte (D-York). Republicans largely opposed the legislation but a handful of Democrats also voted against it. The proposal then moved to the Senate on Thursday, where it was tabled, meaning it will be taken up at a later date.

Runte’s bill would require the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to examine performance-based metrics that could be implemented for utilities and conduct that examination every three years thereafter. Generally speaking, performance-based ratemaking (PBR) creates specific benchmarks for utilities to meet. The utilities could then get rewarded if they meet the targets or be penalized if they don’t.

The performance of Maine’s primary investor-owned utilities, CMP and Versant, has been a frequent topic of discussion in recent years. The companies’ relative unpopularity with Mainers, frustration with their quality of service and concerns about their for-profit business model spurred the referendum last fall to replace CMP and Versant with a nonprofit, consumer-owned utility. However, Mainers voted down the measure amid a deluge of spending against the proposal.  

During Wednesday’s debate in the House, Rep. Sophia Warren, a Democrat from Scarborough, argued there isn’t sufficient evidence that LD 2172 would benefit ratepayers and improve the utility system.

“We cannot with any guarantee know the outcome of this legislation, and I believe that is a potentially quite harmful consequence we must take seriously,” said Warren, adding that she would support a targeted study on PBR policies in Maine.

Warren — a critic of CMP and Versant who supported the referendum to replace the companies — also pushed back against proponents who have argued that the bill will hasten Maine’s clean energy transition. She said nothing in the legislation ties a utility’s performance to making the grid more sustainable.

Republican Rep. Steven Foster of Dexter also expressed opposition to the bill. Among other issues, Foster argued that some parts of the proposal are duplicative of a 2022 bill that requires the PUC to adopt rules for CMP and Versant. Specifically, the PUC was tasked under that law with creating quantitative metrics around service quality along with coming up with a report card to evaluate utilities.  

Runte said LD 2172 is meant to build on that previous measure. And he added that if the state wants CMP and Versant to perform better, it needs to create rules that incentivize the companies to further Maine’s grid-related policy goals — which he argued is currently lacking.

“LD 2172 attempts to solve this problem by directing the PUC to begin a process to define how we want our utilities to perform in the 21st century, as well as consider modern models of utility regulation that better align a utility’s performance with these new goals,” he said.

Under Runte’s proposal, the PUC would have to establish goals and evaluate options for creating metrics to determine how well utilities meet certain criteria. In creating those goals, PUC would have to keep in mind the following: benefit to ratepayers, promotion of cost efficiency and affordability, increased planning for extreme weather and climate hazards, a comprehensive response to outages, and support of renewable resource and greenhouse gas reduction goals. The goals would also have to be consistent with the state’s climate action plan.  

Runte said the process for coming up with goals for utilities to meet and metrics to evaluate them is kept deliberately flexible in the bill, giving appropriate latitude to the PUC to determine what will work best for Maine and to adjust policies as needed.

The bill would further require that the commission get input from various stakeholders, mandate that the PUC provide a summary of its performance-based ratemaking actions, task the organization with coming up with recommendations for forming a regulatory policy group within the commission, and require the PUC to implement emerging reforms if such changes better align with state goals.  

Runte pointed out that 17 states have approved similar reforms, although Warren noted that just two states have moved to extensively implement PBR policies, and she argued the experience of one of those states — Connecticut — has not been positive.

But Rep. Valli Geiger (D-Rockland) said that although Mainers voted down the November referendum to replace CMP and Versant, that doesn’t mean they are happy with the service provided by the companies. She said implementing PBR would provide the state the tools to bring the utilities into alignment with important goals, particularly when it comes to the clean energy transition.

Both CMP and Versant have been tepid about the bill. During a committee hearing earlier this year, a representative from Versant said the company is willing to take initial steps toward performance-based ratemaking but called for the goals established by the PUC to be brought back to lawmakers for review. And CMP argued the time isn’t right for Runte’s bill because lawmakers should first see how recent regulations, like the 2022 bill, work out.

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GRID: A Texas municipal utility builds four large solar farms and a natural gas-fired power plant as it aims to keep pace with power demand from data centers and electrification. (El Paso Times)

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ALSO:

• Georgia Power asks state regulators to allow it to build three new natural gas-fired turbines, develop 1,000 MW of battery storage, add a 200 MW solar farm, and buy power from out of state to meet growing energy demand, but critics warn the additions could cost ratepayers. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• South Carolina utilities warn that an escalation in data center construction is straining the grid. (Post and Courier)

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SOLAR:

• Texas added 6.5 GW of solar in 2023, surpassing California now twice in the last three years as the leading state for new solar installations. (Dallas Morning News)
• A Virginia county board discusses what to do if the state moves to override local ordinances to restrict and regulate solar development after such a bill failed this year. (Lynchburg News & Advance)
• An Arkansas auto service center announces it will install solar panels, making it one of the first businesses in the area to go solar. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A Georgia county preps a 202-acre industrial site to attract a factory as Hyundai Motor Group and SK On build a massive electric vehicle battery plant several miles away. (Rome News-Tribune)
• The United Auto Workers tries for the third time to unionize Volkswagen’s plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but so far sees diminishing returns. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
• A study finds North Carolina among the top states for growing electric vehicle infrastructure, but ranks Greensboro and Winston-Salem among the least friendly for EV drivers. (WTVD, Winston-Salem Journal)
• Georgia officials hope electric vehicle maker Rivian resumes construction of its factory, but say taxpayers are on the hook for nearly $300 million in infrastructure improvements if not. (WXIA)

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OIL & GAS:

• Environmentalists call for a sharper response from Alabama officials after a truck crash spilled more than 2,000 gallons of oil and gas. (Inside Climate News)
• Police make nine arrests during a week of direct action against the Mountain Valley Pipeline, including two seniors who locked themselves to a car and an activist who spent nearly 36 hours inside a length of pipe. (Inside Climate News)

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COAL: An Alabama family sues for damages after a coal mine explodes because of what a lawyer blames on a buildup of methane gas. (Inside Climate News)

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CLEAN ENERGY: A report finds Georgia ranks second in the U.S. for clean energy development with $23.12 billion in investment. (Augusta Chronicle)

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POLITICS: Virginia lawmakers use a budget amendment to try to force the state to rejoin a regional carbon market, but it will likely be vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. (Inside Climate News)

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CLIMATE:

• A nine-mile island in New Orleans is slowly being swept away by rising seas, and its erosion could severely affect more heavily populated parts of the city that it helps to protect from storm surge. (NOLA.com)
• A Texas power company faces numerous lawsuits after investigators say its decayed power pole sparked this month’s historic wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma. (Grist)

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COMMENTARY:

• The abrupt departure of a South Carolina regulator protesting legislation to speed development of a natural gas-fired power plant should serve as a warning about the utility-friendly legislation’s rollback of consumer protections, writes an editorial board. (Post and Courier)
• Florida should not rely on natural gas in the clean energy transition because the emissions that come from its production, transportation and distribution still accelerate climate change, writes a climate advocate. (Florida Times-Union)

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GRID: National Grid announces a $4 billion plan to upgrade its upstate New York power grid, with new substations and rebuilt power lines among its 6-year plan. (Utility Dive)

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ALSO: Several hundred thousand New England residents lost power during severe storms over the weekend, and more than 100,000 remained in the dark Monday morning. (NBC Boston, WMTW)

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OFFSHORE WIND:

• After Salem, Massachusetts, closed a decades-old coal plant, residents fought for — and won — climate resiliency funds and job assurances from the offshore wind assembly terminal slated to replace it. (Boston Globe)
• Linking Atlantic wind farms via offshore transmission lines could cost billions of dollars, but provide net cost benefits and boost grid reliability, a U.S. Energy Department study finds. (Utility Dive)
• Some New Jersey residents speak out against the state’s latest offshore wind solicitation at a state utility board hearing. (Asbury Park Press)

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UTILITIES:

• Massachusetts utility regulators are grappling with structural problems driving up power rates, as a state agency warns that costly power is a barrier to clean energy adoption. (CommonWealth Beacon)
• A Maryland advocacy group finds the state’s utilities spent $2 million on lobbying in 2023 and calls for further disclosures of utilities’ political activities. (Baltimore Sun)

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POLICY:

• A Maine legislative committee advances a bill that would put state lawmakers in charge of electric vehicle regulations after a citizen-appointed environmental board rejected proposed Clean Cars rules. (Kennebec Journal)
• New York lawmakers move quickly to include measures to phase out new natural gas hookups in the state’s budget. (New York Times)
• Vermont’s House advances a bill requiring utilities to purchase 100% clean electricity by 2035; the Senate will vote on the bill this week. (Seven Days, Vermont Public)

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SOLAR: Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania’s housing authority seeks county funding to help build a solar farm that could power a low-income senior apartment complex and other county facilities. (TribLive)

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CLEAN ENERGY: The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center awards $2.5 million for projects across the state, including a solar panel recycling project and a biogas production system. (Worcester Business Journal)

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HYDROGEN:

• A Connecticut hydrogen fuel cell factory announces layoffs. (New Haven Register)
• Delaware institutions secure a piece of newly awarded federal clean hydrogen funding, stirring opposition and concern from some community members and environmental advocates. (Delaware Business Times; Delaware News Journal, subscription)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Rhode Island considers replacing its gas tax with a mileage-based user fee to combat an expected drop in revenue as electric vehicles replace combustion cars. (EcoRI)

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CLIMATE: Maryland’s chief resilience officer says climate issues pose the biggest challenge to the state’s stability, with rising floods, worsening storms and growing heat among his biggest concerns. (Inside Climate News)

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COMMENTARY:

• An editorial board calls New Jersey’s decision to phase out electric vehicle subsidies and establish an EV registration “baffling” considering the state’s EV mandate, and suggest the state promote plug-in hybrid vehicles. (Star-Ledger)
• Maryland needs to implement better protections for utility ratepayers and require wider economic benefit disclosures from utilities, the state’s former consumer advocate writes. (Maryland Matters)

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GRID: The Biden administration is expected to unveil a grid expansion plan this spring, but experts say the president would need at least a second term to fully roll out the transmission buildout. (E&E News)

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ALSO: U.S. lawmakers introduce legislation that would require federal energy regulators to establish incentives for transmission owners to add grid-enhancing technologies to existing power lines. (Utility Dive)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The Biden administration plans to unveil a clean car rule next week that would require carmakers to cut average vehicles emissions 52% by 2032, likely spurring electric vehicle production. (Politico)

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OFFSHORE WIND:

• Ørsted and Eversource begin sending power from their 132 MW South Fork wind project to the New York grid, a milestone for the country’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm. (Associated Press, Bloomberg)
• A proposed marine sanctuary backed by tribal nations could complicate interconnection for offshore wind in California. (E&E News)

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HYDROGEN: The U.S. Energy Department announces that it will funnel $750 million in bipartisan infrastructure funding to electrolyzer research and development projects, with a goal of spurring clean hydrogen. (E&E News)

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COAL: Fourteen coal plants closed in the U.S. last year, but power generators are largely looking to natural gas to replace that capacity. (Inside Climate News)

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CLIMATE:

• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sues the Securities and Exchange Commission, saying its new climate disclosure mandate makes “harmful changes” to a 50-year-old precedent. (Reuters)
• The U.S. Interior Department announces $120 million for 146 tribal climate resilience projects. (The Hill)

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UTILITIES: The role of a decayed power pole in sparking this month’s historic Texas wildfires drives discussion about the state’s general lack of regulations for utilities related to wildfire mitigation. (NPR, Houston Chronicle)

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SOLAR:

• A U.S. solar manufacturing executive urges congressional lawmakers to make tax code changes that would prevent Chinese solar companies from benefiting from Inflation Reduction Act incentives. (Utility Dive)
• Ohio regulators are scheduled to consider plans next week for a $1 billion, 800 MW solar project with 300 MW of storage on thousands of acres partially owned by Bill Gates. (Columbus Dispatch)

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PIPELINES: A four-week trial ends in North Dakota in a case to determine whether the state or federal government should pay $38 million in policing costs for Dakota Access pipeline protests, though a judgment isn’t expected for weeks. (North Dakota Monitor)

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FOSSIL FUELS: A development group finishes dismantling a former oil refinery in south Philadelphia, once the East Coast’s largest such facility, and begins construction on an industrial space and life sciences lab. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

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EFFICIENCY: A Virginia company offers a free online calculator to help homeowners navigate federal tax credits and point-of-sale rebates for efficient appliances. (Energy News Network)

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BIOMASS: Environmental groups are concerned that the federal Inflation Reduction Act could create tax incentives for wood-to-energy biomass projects and potentially worsen climate emissions. (Inside Climate News)

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GRID: An analysis finds Texas has experienced 263 power outages since 2019, the most of any state in the country, indicating its power grid is struggling under demand and extreme weather. (Houston Chronicle)

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ALSO:

• Four Republican Texas Congress members introduce a resolution to oppose any effort to link the state’s independent power grid to other regional grids. (The Hill)
• The family of a South Carolina high school teacher who was killed by a falling power pole announces a lawsuit against Dominion Energy and two other companies. (WRDW/Gray News)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp responds to Rivian’s announcement it will at least delay construction of an electric vehicle plant in the state, saying the state will hold the company to its plans since it put up $1.5 billion in incentives. (WSB)
• A private utility wants Georgia lawmakers to alter a state law so it doesn’t need local approval to provide water service to new homes built near Hyundai’s sprawling electric vehicle and battery factory. (Associated Press)

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STORAGE: Texas residents are worried about a developer’s plans to build a battery storage facility near a neighborhood and elementary school. (KTRK)

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OIL & GAS:

• The U.S. breaks global records for crude oil production, producing more oil than any nation ever for each of the last six years. (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
• A proposed 2,500-acre reservoir in Texas still faces public comment, but could fuel more buildout of the state’s massive petrochemical industry on the Gulf Coast. (Texas Observer)

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COAL:

• Kentucky lawmakers advance a Republican-backed bill to create an energy review commission that would provide another regulatory hurdle for utilities that want to retire coal-fired power plants. (Kentucky Lantern)
• Georgia officials warn about the presence of mercury in rivers and fish due to emissions from coal-fired power plants. (WGXA)
• A Virginia bank moves to dismiss a lawsuit by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s companies to block the auction of a sporting club to satisfy a multi-million dollar debt incurred by the Justice family’s coal companies and other branches of its businesses. (WV Metro News)

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CLIMATE:

• Florida Republicans are moving to block local governments from enacting workplace heat-exposure rules, even as ever-hotter temperatures are killing farmworkers in the state. (The Lever)
• Texas will create a legislative committee to investigate this month’s record-breaking wildfires, including causative factors and the state’s preparedness and response. (Texas Tribune)
• Nashville is selected as one of 25 cities to participate in a Bloomberg program to address climate change and the racial wealth gap in three neighborhoods with high energy burdens. (WSMV)

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UTILITIES: Austin, Texas’ municipal utility pauses the process of reworking its resource, generation and climate plan while the mayor pushes to divest from a coal-fired power plant and environmentalists call for more renewables. (Austin Monitor)

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GEOTHERMAL: A student team from the University of Oklahoma wins a competition for its design of geothermal wells to heat a 40,000-square-foot greenhouse operated by the Osage Nation. (KWTV/KSBI)

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MINING: A Virginia company moves to reopen critical minerals mining and production facilities in the state, after having previously discontinued operations there in 2015. (Virginia Mercury)

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COMMENTARY:

• Virginia lawmakers seemed to have lost interest in addressing climate change, partly because of Dominion Energy’s influence, writes a columnist. (Virginia Mercury)
• A proposed Kentucky commission to consider affordable electric rates is designed less to keep energy prices low than to provide another state-mandated layer of protection for the sagging coal industry, writes the president of a state think tank. (Lexington Herald-Leader)

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ELECTRIFICATION: The Biden administration awards a northwest Alaska borough $50 million to install electric heat pumps in every home and to build solar installations to power them. (Northern Journal)

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OIL & GAS:

• The federal Bureau of Land Management plans to spend $2.9 million to clean up nine orphaned oil and gas wells around Wyoming. (Wyoming News Exchange)
• A Wyoming energy fund panel recommends spending $11 million on a project aimed at pulling more oil from aging wells and an evaluation of rare earths mineral potential. (Cowboy State Daily)

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MINING:

• A federal appeals court rejects Apache advocates’ bid to block a land swap that would allow copper mining at Oak Flat in Arizona. (Arizona Republic)
• Utah lawmakers pass legislation that would tighten restrictions on lithium extraction from the Great Salt Lake. (High Country News)
• Soaring uranium prices and a global supply squeeze spur companies to revive at least five idled mines in Utah, Arizona, Wyoming and Texas. (Bloomberg)

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POLLUTION: Dozens of oil and gas industry and environmental group lobbyists work to influence Colorado lawmakers as they consider legislation aimed at reducing ground-level ozone pollution. (CPR)

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SOLAR:

• Washington state lawmakers pass a bill establishing consumer protections for rooftop solar customers. (Washington State Standard)
• A New Mexico county agrees to purchase 170 MW from a solar-plus-storage installation under development in the northwestern part of the state. (Los Alamos Daily Post)
• Los Angeles launches a demonstration solar street light project aimed at making the equipment less vulnerable to copper wire theft. (Los Angeles Daily News)
• The Biden administration awards Taos Pueblo in New Mexico $10 million to help build a 5 MW solar-plus-battery storage system. (news release)

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UTILITIES:

• Alaska regulators reject advocates’ request for an electric cooperative’s usage data, saying it would invade customers’ privacy. (Northern Journal)
• Nevada’s Supreme Court is set to hear a case regarding a utility’s ability to use the power of eminent domain to build a natural gas pipeline across private property. (Western Water Notes)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: California says it has surpassed 100,000 public or shared private electric vehicle chargers throughout the state. (news release)

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TRANSPORTATION: The Biden administration pours funding into a proposed high-speed passenger rail line linking Las Vegas and Los Angeles in hopes it will spark a national rail revolution. (Los Angeles Times)

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CLIMATE:

• Researchers find a “cool pavement” project in a Los Angeles neighborhood has significantly reduced surface temperatures in areas the reflective paint was installed. (NBC News)
• An unusually severe snowstorm pounds northern California and Nevada, shutting down ski areas and freeways and leaving at least 50,000 households without power. (New York Times)

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BIOFUELS: The Biden administration awards $30 million to a cluster of California projects aimed at converting forest cuttings into biofuels. (Bioenergy Insight)

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