ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: The EPA announces a series of inspections, air monitoring and other enforcement actions to address air pollution, unsafe drinking water and other problems affecting minority communities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. (Associated Press)

POLITICS:
• A Democratic and two Republican state lawmakers say Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office has expressed support for bills to ban Dominion Energy and some other public utilities from making campaign contributions. (Associated Press)
• Virginia Republicans aim to bypass the Democratic state senate as they look to withdraw the state from a regional carbon reduction market. (Virginia Mercury)
• The West Virginia state senate passes a bill to create an insurance company to keep a state fund for mine reclamation from becoming insolvent, but lawmakers still haven’t found a funding source. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• West Virginia lawmakers advance a law to stop requiring legislators’ approval before environmental regulators change water pollution control permit limits; environmentalists say the law creates an industry loophole. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

PIPELINES:
• A court’s withdrawal of permits to cross federal land marks only the latest regulatory setback for the Mountain Valley Pipeline since it received approval in 2017. (Bloomberg)
• A company announces it will extend a Texas natural gas pipeline by 35 miles to connect with more processing sites. (news release)

GRID:
• The Texas grid has held up through winter’s early weeks, but many residents and experts remain concerned that reforms implemented after last year’s winter storm haven’t done enough. (KUT)
• Appalachian Power plans to upgrade a 43-mile stretch of transmission line in western Virginia. (Roanoke Times)

SOLAR: A solar company seeking approval for a 100 MW solar farm in Texas faces pushback from neighboring farmers and residents. (KWTX)

COAL:
• A West Virginia legislative committee recommends more than 80 measures to boost the state’s depressed coalfield communities, but so far has turned only one into draft legislation. (Mountain State Spotlight)
• West Virginia lawmakers advance a bill to change how the state values coal properties for tax purposes, which critics estimate will cost local governments $12 million in revenue this year alone. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• A coal company will hold a job fair in Kentucky this weekend as it tries to staff up to meet demand. (Dawson Springs Progress)
• A federal fund for coal miners with black lung disease is threatened as Congress fails to reauthorize a tax on coal. (WOWK)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• An Arkansas city council votes to waive bidding requirements for electric vehicle charging stations. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
• Alabama officials predict the state’s southeastern Wildgrass region will see high demand for electric vehicle charging stations by 2030. (Dothan Eagle)

UTILITIES:
• A Florida city considers starting its own municipal electric utility as customers struggle with skyrocketing bills. (WKRG)
• Kentucky lawmakers consider a bill to accelerate the ratemaking process by sharply reducing public participation in regulators’ decisions. (WFPL) 

TRANSPORTATION: An aviation company announces it will build next-generation supersonic passenger jets in North Carolina. (Associated Press)

Mason has worked as a journalist since 2001, covering Appalachian communities and the issues that affect them. He compiles the Southeast Energy News digest. Mason previously worked as a wildlife biologist before moving into journalism by freelancing at Coast Weekly in Monterey, California, before taking an internship in 2001 at High Country News. He wrote for the Enterprise Mountaineer in western North Carolina and the Roanoke Times in western Virginia before going freelance in 2012. His work has appeared in Southerly, Daily Yonder, Mother Jones, Huffington Post, WVPB’s Inside Appalachia and elsewhere. Mason was born and raised in Clifton Forge, Virginia, and now lives with his family and a small herd of goats in Floyd County, Virginia.