UTILITIES: North Carolina regulators won’t hold a public hearing on the website glitch that caused Duke Energy to mistakenly deny solar rebates to hundreds of customers in January. (Energy News Network)
PIPELINES: A coalition of neighbors in West Virginia and Virginia protest the Mountain Valley Pipeline and hope to offer other communities a model for stopping environmental hazards. (Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting)
***YOUR AD HERE: Webinar? Job posting? Virtual event? Every day, Energy News Network email digests reach thousands of highly engaged professionals. Click here for more information on how to get your promotion to our audience.***
OIL & GAS:
• A port expansion in the petrochemical town of Freeport, Texas, is displacing an African American neighborhood, with only a few property owners still holding out until officials use eminent domain to take their land. (Texas Monthly)
• The Louisiana Oil and Gas Association says the deal with foreign oil producers to reduce production does not do enough to help Louisiana producers. (Daily Advertiser)
GRID:
• After major storms and tornadoes tear through the South and East, utilities struggle to restore power while staying safe during the pandemic. (E&E News, subscription)
• Four major Florida utilities file plans with state regulators for billions of dollars in projects over the next decade to strengthen electric systems against hurricanes. (CBS Miami)
SOLAR:
• Duke Energy warns that it may have to curtail purchases from independent solar producers already under contract. (Charlotte Business Journal, subscription)
• Boaters in the Florida Keys stay isolated during the coronavirus pandemic with solar-powered boats that work off the grid. (Sun Punta Gorda)
OFFSHORE DRILLING:
• An ocean conservation group’s recommendations to prevent another Deepwater Horizon disaster include ceasing expansion of offshore drilling and increasing safety enforcement. (Saporta Report)
• Offshore oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico are releasing twice as much methane as previously thought, according to a new study. (news release)
CLIMATE: Ten years after surviving the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the Atakapa-Ishak/Chawasha Tribe in Louisiana reflects on the trauma members have endured and the threat of rising sea levels. (OnEarth)
COAL: The Department of Labor allocates over $2.4 million to help out-of-work coal miners in West Virginia, according to Sen. Joe Manchin. (Local DVM)
RENEWABLES: Some Texas wind and solar projects are still moving forward during the pandemic as the oil and gas industry struggles. (Texas Standard)