HURRICANE IDA: Entergy projects it could be four weeks before power is restored across much of St. Charles Parish and other hard-hit parts of Louisiana. (NOLA.com, Associated Press)

ALSO:
• Utility officials report that Hurricane Ida did more damage to Louisiana’s electrical grid than any other storm in the state’s history. (KATC)
• Some of the communities hardest hit by Hurricane Ida continue to see power outages and gasoline shortages, while lines slowly lessen across New Orleans and Baton Rouge. (The Advocate, NOLA.com)
• Hurricane Ida decimated tribal communities across Louisiana’s coast, and their lack of federal recognition may slow recovery. (NOLA.com)
• New Orleans officials investigate senior living apartments after finding residents trapped without power. (Associated Press)

UTILITIES: Dominion Energy overcharged customers by $1.2 billion since 2015,  a consultant and former utility executive testifies on behalf of an environmental group in the utility’s triennial review. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

PIPELINES: The Mountain Valley Pipeline files a subpoena in federal court asking Facebook to unmask the people behind the Appalachians Against Pipelines page, which has served as the public face for tree-sitters and other protesters. (Roanoke Times)

OIL & GAS:
• Divers dispatched to an ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico identify its apparent source as a broken pipeline displaced from a trench on the ocean floor, though the company paying for the cleanup says it does not belong to them. (Associated Press)
• Gulf Coast energy companies begin to reopen ports and restart oil refineries, but production remains largely halted. (Reuters)

POLITICS:
• Hurricane Ida becomes a rallying point in efforts to pass two federal infrastructure proposals. (Associated Press)
• Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin claims eliminating fossil fuels would worsen climate pollution while personally grossing more than $4.5 million from coal companies and other fossil fuel firms during his time in the Senate. (The Intercept)

EMISSIONS: Current and planned carbon emission reductions in power generation could devalue recently retrofit coal plants by $34 billion and strand another $34 billion in new gas plant construction, according to an analysis. (S&P Global)

TRANSITION: A mining union official says coal miners should be first in line to receive training for solar and wind energy jobs. (WOWK)

HYDROGEN: A liquid hydrogen manufacturer announces it will transform an old car dealership in Florida into its new global headquarters. (Spectrum News)

CLIMATE: A report warns that Florida “is in the bullseye” for record heat resulting from climate change, potentially affecting 2 million outdoor workers in the state. (Florida Phoenix)

SOLAR: Two New Orleans nonprofits pitch an idea to place solar panels on local restaurants to keep them running and create community gathering points after storms. (WWL-TV)

COMMENTARY:
• Louisiana’s prolonged blackouts in the wake of Hurricane Ida and growing reliance on the grid for things such as electric vehicles show the need for resilience investments, writes a columnist. (Reuters)
• Completely protecting the power grid is an impossible task, as flooding and storm surges can overwhelm even underground lines, writes the director of energy studies at the University of Florida’s Public Utility Research Center. (The Conversation)

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.