PIPELINES: The federal government threatens to fine Colonial Pipeline $200,000 per day over a massive gasoline spill unless the company installs a better leak detection system. (Charlotte Observer)

ALSO:
• The defeat of the Byhalia Connection Pipeline in Memphis began with a 2017 protest of a pipeline from Oklahoma, which spurred an environmental movement around the city’s underground water aquifer. (Daily Memphian)
• Central Virginia residents celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline’s cancellation. (Daily Progress)

OIL & GAS:
• The developer of a natural gas plant in eastern Virginia cancels the project amid community opposition. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• A “mystery seller” divests from a mineral and royalty portfolio that includes hundreds of natural gas wells spanning 15,000 net acres in northwest Louisiana. (The Advocate)
• Louisiana officials propose new rules over oil tank batteries after an explosion kills a 14-year-old. (The Advocate)

BIOMASS: Europe’s designation of wood pellets as a renewable energy source drives up demand for biomass and hurts marginalized communities in North Carolina near where the pellets are produced. (CNN)

WIND: The federal government releases a “request for interest” to gauge the feasibility of offshore wind projects in the Gulf of Mexico. (NOLA.com)

GRID:
• Texas’ grid manager called for conservation measures in June after 155 power generators had unplanned outages, including 109 plants that also failed during February’s winter storm. (Austin American-Statesman)
• As Texas lawmakers convene for a special session, some call for reform of the state’s electric grid by connecting it to other grids, increasing oversight of natural gas-fired power plants and other measures. (KUT)
• Mississippi regulators consider a company’s planned improvements to transmission lines. (Delta Democrat-Times)

SOLAR:
• Details about Amazon’s plan to buy power from 14 renewable projects, including two new solar farms in Arkansas, remain fuzzy as officials seek more information. (Arkansas Business)
• Solar advocates call for Georgia to lift a cap on a pilot rooftop program to avoid a slowdown in solar installations. (Capitol Beat News Service/Albany Herald)
• Tesla partners with a real estate developer and another company to announce a solar-based community in Texas. (KVUE)
• A solar company with nine projects representing 600 MW of capacity discusses the development of two solar farms in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle. (The Journal)

EMISSIONS:
• State-owned South Carolina utility Santee Cooper is fined for air pollution violations at two coal-fired plants and a natural gas-fired plant. (The State)
• Environmentalists are closely watching Texas oil and gas operations to ensure they comply with new federal rules requiring more stringent detection of methane leaks. (Texas Climate News)

UTILITIES: The Tennessee Valley Authority’s growing use of water to power a natural gas plant in the Memphis area prompts the city’s utility to consider leaving TVA for a new power supplier. (Daily Memphian)

COAL: Retirees from coal companies owned by the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice struggle through frequent interruptions in prescription drug coverage. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

COMMENTARY: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s orders to pile new “reliability costs” on wind and solar while creating subsidies for coal, natural gas and nuclear weakens Texas’ power grid, writes an editorial board. (Houston Chronicle)

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.