UTILITIES: A political group funded entirely by Duke Energy reemerges after nearly 15 months to promote a controversial multi-year ratemaking scheme the utility was denied two years ago. (Energy News Network)
ALSO:
• South Carolina lawmakers meet to seek a compromise to overhaul troubled state-owned utility Santee Cooper. (E&E News, subscription)
• Hundreds of thousands of Floridians have had their power disconnected for nonpayment even though some localities have earmarked federal funding for residential relief. (WFSU)
• Chattanooga, Tennessee’s municipal utility will use cheaper interest rates, continued growth in its internet service and a pandemic credit from its power supplier to keep its electricity rates flat next year. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
• Columbia Gas requests a rate increase to pay for infrastructure improvements across 30 Kentucky counties. (WSAZ)
GRID:
• Texas lawmakers pass legislation to require some power generators to winterize against extreme cold, but critics say concessions to the oil and gas lobby still leave the grid vulnerable. (Associated Press, NPR)
• The Texas winterization bill now awaiting the governor’s signature will require state agencies to develop and enforce its provisions. (KCEN)
• Texas’ grid operator adds about 83,000 customers over Memorial Day weekend as the city of Lubbock transfers in. (KCBD)
• Appalachian Power will spray 5,000 acres across 17 West Virginia counties with herbicides to clear the rights of way for some power lines. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• Florida Power & Light plans to use drones and a “robodog” to accelerate power restoration during hurricane season. (WPLG)
COAL:
• West Virginia regulators prepare to consider whether a 50-year-old coal-fired plant should close in 2028, 12 years ahead of schedule. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• A strike by 1,100 Alabama coal miners against Warrior Met Coal heads into its third month. (Guardian)
PIPELINES: Federal officials order critical pipeline owners and operators to report any cybersecurity incidents to a U.S. agency. (Washington Post)
EMISSIONS:
• Homegrown and local businesses in Louisiana explore ways to capture and store carbon emissions in deep underground saltwater aquifers, along with two proposed, multi-billion-dollar “renewable” diesel projects. (NOLA.com)
• Texas regulators signal they’ll take a closer look at restricting natural gas flaring as a way to reduce methane emissions. (Inside Climate News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A northern Virginia county launches a pilot electric-vehicle program to buy four electric buses, four solid waste trucks and one medium-duty truck. (WDVM)
SOLAR: Developers of a proposed Louisiana solar project gear up for a public meeting to hear residential concerns that led to a solar moratorium in the parish. (Era-Leader)
WIND: Virginia residents sue to block a 75 MW wind farm that would be the state’s first onshore wind project. (Virginia Business)
STORAGE: Arkansas solar installers see a growth in demand for battery storage systems but worry material shortages and other issues will affect prices. (Arkansas Business)
NUCLEAR: Tennessee officials prepare to deactivate and dismantle an experimental nuclear reactor. (Knoxville Daily Sun)
CLIMATE: Policymakers and companies bank on planting trees to meet climate change goals, but Virginia forestry experts say seedling supply falls short of what will be needed. (Virginia Mercury)
COMMENTARY:
• The development of up to 75 MW of solar capacity that spans parts of Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee should help inform energy and development policy in a region desperately trying to diversify its economy, writes an editorial board. (Parkersburg News and Sentinel)
• A new methodology to promote cooperation between environmentalists, developers, residents and academics may provide a smoother path to approving new fossil fuel and renewable energy projects, writes a columnist. (Houston Chronicle)