Southeast Energy News

Trump fires TVA board members, pushes to oust CEO for outsourcing jobs

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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY: President Trump signs an executive order forbidding federal agencies from moving jobs overseas in response to TVA outsourcing at least 120 information technology jobs. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

ALSO:
• Trump also fired TVA’s board chair and another board member and urged the board to replace its CEO with a lower-paid executive. (Associated Press)
• Trump nominated a longtime telecommunications executive to the TVA board hours after firing two members. (E&E News, subscription)

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Southeast Energy News

Dominion CEO to step down amid utility’s change in direction

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UTILITIES: Dominion Energy CEO Tom Farrell will step down in October as part of an executive shakeup in the wake of the utility’s cancellation of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (Greentech Media)

ALSO:
• Southern Company says electricity demand bounced back in June and July, when sales were down just 1% compared to a year ago. (E&E News, subscription)
• Utility crews are working in smaller groups because of the pandemic, which means customers might need to wait longer for power to be restored after storm outages. (WRAL)

***SPONSORED LINK: The ESA Annual Energy Storage Conference & Expo (#ESACon20) is a true 360-degree conference experience – gone digital. Featuring one-on-one conversations and interactions, group discussion, demos of real projects and more.

Southeast Energy News

Plant Vogtle cost rises $149 million — and ratepayers could be on the hook

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NUCLEAR: Georgia Power’s parent company says it will cost an additional $149 million to complete the Plant Vogtle nuclear plant, and that it may eventually ask to pass along the increase to customers. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

OIL & GAS:
• An oil industry group predicts Texas oil and gas jobs could fall to a 15-year low in the fall and may never fully recover. (Houston Chronicle)
• Chevron says it will build 500 MW of renewable energy projects to power some oil and gas operations, including ones in Texas. (Greentech Media)
• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s approval of a compressor station in a majority Black neighborhood in Georgia raises questions about how the agency weighs environmental justice. (E&E News, subscription)

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Southeast Energy News

Chattanooga cuts carbon emissions by 25% in a decade

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PIPELINES: With the Atlantic Coast Pipeline canceled, Virginia landowners want to scrub easements from their property records. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: A coalition of Southeast environmental groups sue the Trump administration over its revamping of the National Environmental Policy Act to fast-track pipeline projects. (Reuters)

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EMISSIONS: Chattanooga, Tennessee, cut carbon emissions by about 25% in the past decade even as the population and economy grew, according to a study by an environmental group.

Southeast Energy News

Mountain Valley Pipeline gets key permit to cross Blue Ridge Parkway

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PIPELINES: The National Park Service will issue a right-of-way permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline to cross the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway — one of three federal permits the project still needs. (Roanoke Times)

ALSO: A letter sent by Atlantic Coast Pipeline developers reveals it remains uncertain what they plan to do with land they gained control over for the project, in some cases through eminent domain. (Virginia Mercury)

***SPONSORED LINK: Register today for Veterans Advanced Energy Week, August 10-13, a virtual learning experience dedicated to military veterans and spouses in advanced energy and national security. Learn more at www.vetsenergyproject.org. ***

OIL & GAS:
• Oil and gas producers find some “common ground” in Joe Biden’s plan to address climate change, which would not ban fracking.