UTILITIES: A group of environmental organizations sues TVA over its long-term contracts, claiming they prevent local utilities from leaving and place a “harsh cap” on their ability to use renewable power from non-TVA sources. (InsideClimate News)
ALSO: Dominion Energy customers’ monthly electric bills have jumped nearly 29% since 2007 and are set to rise another 45% over the next decade, according to state officials. (Daily Press)
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NUCLEAR:
• Georgia utility regulators unanimously approve $674 million in spending on the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion, but reject a recommendation to discuss how much Georgia Power customers will pay for it. (Augusta Chronicle)
• Florida regulators approve Duke Energy’s plan to decommission the Crystal River Nuclear Plant by 2038. (Florida Politics)
COAL: Coal miners with black lung disease say that staying safe and treating their disease is more complicated during the coronavirus pandemic. (WVPB)
COAL ASH: North Carolina regulators approve plans to close a Duke Energy plant in Lumberton and remove coal ash from the site. (The Robesonian)
STORAGE: A Virginia electric cooperative teams up with an energy storage developer on a grid-scale battery that is expected to store enough energy to power about 1,000 homes for eight hours. (CBS19 News)
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OIL & GAS:
• A study finds that pregnant, Latina women exposed to natural gas flaring in South Texas are more likely than white women to give birth prematurely. (Texas Observer)
• A Fort Worth, Texas, oil company finds a 13,000-acre field with 74.2 million barrels of oil. (Forth Worth Star Telegram)
COMMENTARY:
• A clean energy think tank says Google ads that echo anti regional transmission organization Facebook ads from a dark money group show up in the Southeast. (Energy and Policy Institute)
• A clean energy group examines the policies and position of Cal Cunningham, the Democratic nominee for North Carolina’s Senator, and Thom Tillis, the current Senator and Republican nominee. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)