JOBS: Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announces a $5 million program to train workers for battery plants, hinting that a proposed West Virginia facility will be a likely recipient. (Associated Press)

EQUITY: A media analysis finds lawmakers from Florida, North Carolina and other states have steered federal climate relief funds to wealthy, mostly white communities. (E&E News)

CLIMATE: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issues a disaster declaration as wildfires burn across 11 counties; 58,000 acres have burned as of Friday. (Texas Tribune)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill Friday suspending the state’s gasoline tax through the end of May, costing $400 million in road funds that will be subsidized by a state tax surplus. (WABE)
• West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice says he cannot unilaterally suspend his state’s gasoline tax, only the legislature can. (West Virginia Daily News)
• Officials in San Antonio seek ways to improve walkability after decades of car-focused development. (San Antonio Report)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Officials in a North Carolina county say it’s “just common sense” to expand investment in electric vehicle chargers. (Salisbury Post)
• A Georgia public official and his siblings could net more than $20 million from land sales for a proposed Rivian plant outside Atlanta. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

NATURAL GAS:
• The Department of Energy grants approval for liquefied natural gas terminals in Texas and Louisiana to increase exports to Europe to aid in Ukraine’s war effort. (Associated Press)
• Opponents of a proposed Louisiana natural gas export facility, including retired oil and gas workers, say the facility will threaten wildlife and contribute to climate-warming emissions threatening the state’s coastline. (Courthouse News Service) 

PIPELINES:
• Tennessee Republicans are advancing legislation that would limit local authority over pipeline projects. (WKRN)
• Despite losing two key permits, developers are still seeking to revive the Mountain Valley Pipeline. (Roanoke Times)

STORAGE: North Carolina rural co-ops announce a project to coordinate 10 energy storage facilities around the state. (NRECA)

SOLAR: A rooftop solar project will offset nearly 100% of the energy used by a Virginia recycling plant. (Solar Power World)

COMMENTARY:
• An opinion writer says the debate over gasoline taxes in Virginia needs to consider vehicle efficiency and alternatives to driving as more durable solutions to price shocks. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• A Florida solar installer says legislation to end net metering in the state will cost jobs and threaten grid resiliency. (Herald-Tribune)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.