UTILITIES: Gulf Coast utility Entergy announces a pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, with hydrogen expected to play a significant role. (Greentech Media)
ALSO:
• Southern Company’s net-zero emission plan is filled with loopholes that let it continue burning fossil fuels, a utility watchdog says. (Energy and Policy Institute)
• Duke Energy’s head of long-term planning discusses the utility’s plans for reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Memphis’ municipal utility board votes to hire a consultant firm to explore alternatives to buying power from the Tennessee Valley Authority. (Daily Memphian)
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OFFSHORE DRILLING: Despite a surprise moratorium on offshore drilling in the South Atlantic, President Trump’s administration says it will move forward with permitting for seismic exploration in the region. (Coastal Review Online)
SOLAR:
• An Arkansas school board approves a solar energy project that’s expected to save the district nearly $10 million over 28 years. (Democrat Gazette)
• A Virginia county approves a permit for a $100 million, ground-mounted solar project slated for construction in the second half of 2021. (Winchester Star)
• A large solar farm announced this week in Texas will encompass about 1,000 acres and cost between $125 million and $130 million. (Dallas Business Journal)
• A special use permit for a proposed Virginia solar farm will expire next month if the developer can’t get final approval to start construction. (Culpeper Times)
STORAGE: A Texas electric cooperative becomes the first in the state to install a utility-scale battery storage system at a substation. (Corridor News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tennessee’s top environmental regulator says electric vehicles will be key to both the state’s environmental and economic future. (Times Free Press)
CLEAN ENERGY: A South Carolina congressman says the state’s energy mix is in the middle of the pack in terms of emissions, “but we need to do a lot more.” (WBTW)
PIPELINES: West Virginia joins a 17-state coalition asking a federal appeals court to reverse a lower court ruling that halted pipeline construction nationwide. (WVNews)
OIL & GAS: Oil well drilling fluid flows through a Corpus Christi neighborhood after heavy rains washed it away from its approved dumping site. (KRIS)
COAL: A Texas municipal power agency finalizes the sale of a coal plant and reservoir to an environmental remediation firm that will redevelop the site. (The Eagle)
CLIMATE:
• The city of Austin seeks community feedback on an updated climate equity plan that calls for more trees and more electric vehicles. (KVUE)
• Melting wax statues placed in Miami, Tampa and Orlando are intended to raise awareness about the climate crisis and its threat to Florida. (WESH)
ACTIVISM: Kent Bailey, a longtime leader of the Tampa Bay Sierra Club, died Tuesday at age 69 of a heart attack, friends said. (Tampa Bay Times)
COMMENTARY:
• Memphis’ municipal utility needs to explore the open market for better options before committing to another contract with the Tennessee Valley Authority, writes a co-founder of a local civic group. (Commercial Appeal)
• A Catholic priest says solar panels on his Virginia church have cut its energy bills and are a reminder “that we are caring for God’s earth.” (Virginian-Pilot)