UTILITIES: Despite Democrats’ pledge to check Dominion Energy’s influence over the Virginia legislature, an investigation finds a lobbying blitz helped the utility win last-minute concessions in a clean energy bill passed this year. (ProPublica/Richmond Times-Dispatch)

EMISSIONS: Virginia manufacturers sue two state agencies to block the state from joining a regional carbon cap-and-invest market. (Virginia Mercury)

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PIPELINES:
• A federal agency says an epoxy coating on segments of steel pipe stockpiled along the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s path does not pose a risk to the surrounding air, soil or water. (Roanoke Times)
• Activists discuss lessons learned from years of fighting new oil and gas pipelines in rural areas and what lies ahead. (Daily Yonder/Southerly)

POLLUTION: The Trump administration largely failed to deliver on its promise to clean up Superfund sites, claiming success for cleanups that had begun decades earlier and ignoring the need to harden sites against the growing threat of extreme weather. (Texas Observer/InsideClimate News/NBC News)

STORAGE: University of Arkansas researchers develop a tiny self-recharging battery that stores energy and constantly produces it, too. (Fast Company)

OIL & GAS: A Permian Basin oil well spewed polluting gases for 10 months despite being investigated by Texas regulators, an environmental group says. (Texarkana Gazette)

COAL: U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette will tour a coal export terminal in Norfolk, Virginia, on Monday. (news release)

TRANSPORTATION:
• An Orlando bus service is preparing to deploy the first of 14 electric buses with help from a Federal Transit Administration grant. (Orlando Weekly)
• A Tennessee school district looks to replace six diesel buses with propane-powered school buses. (Johnson City Press)

SOLAR:
• Duke Energy expects to start construction next month on the largest floating solar plant in the Southeast on Big Muddy Lake. (Fayetteville Observer)
• A proposed solar farm in southeast Virginia gets a one-year extension on its permit to start construction. (Williamsburg Yorktown Daily)
• A Texas agricultural producer will use a $20,000 federal grant to purchase and install a 74.1 kw solar array. (Front Porch News)
• A company donates three solar panels to a Georgia school to power a garden irrigation system, lighting and future aquaponics and hydroponic systems. (WGXA)

RENEWABLES: A Tulsa native and energy expert says Oklahoma is well-positioned to become a leader in renewable energy. (KRMG)

CLIMATE: Texas receives an “F” grade for the climate change curriculum used in its public schools, according to a science education group. (Houston Chronicle)

COMMENTARY:
• A columnist describes how Austin Energy has simultaneously managed COVID-19 and the addition of a carbon price on its generation. (Utility Dive)
• A clean energy leader says Memphis could expedite its decision on leaving the Tennessee Valley Authority while still ensuring that the process is carried out carefully and thoroughly. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)

Dan has two decades' experience working in print, digital and broadcast media. Prior to joining the Energy News Network as managing editor in December 2017, he oversaw watchdog reporting at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, part of the USA Today Network, and before that spent several years as a freelance journalist covering energy, business and technology. Dan is a former Midwest Energy News journalism fellow and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communications from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.