PIPELINES: Federal regulators allow construction to resume on the Mountain Valley Pipeline in West Virginia and southwest Virginia. (Roanoke Times)
ALSO:
• Virginia pipeline opponents come together at a forum in Norfolk to discuss the potential dangers to the community. (WTKR-TV)
• Cheniere Energy receives federal approval to build its $1 billion Midship natural gas pipeline in Oklahoma. (The Oklahoman)
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OIL & GAS:
• A federal judge rules a West Virginia county must allow a natural gas compressor station, saying federal law supersedes local zoning rules. (ProPublica/Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• A Texas energy group takes issue with a recent Duke University study showing water use booming in the Permian Basin oil field. (Houston Chronicle)
NUCLEAR:
• The Trump administration files a friend of the court brief that supports overturning a uranium mining ban in Virginia. (Danville Register & Bee)
• Georgia residents worry Plant Vogtle will exacerbate pollution in an area already home to one of the nation’s most toxic waterways. (ThinkProgress)
COAL:
• A Kentucky coal power plant is a step closer to shutting down after state regulators relieve a utility from its obligation to operate it. (The Gleaner)
• A coal-fired power plant in eastern Oklahoma faces an uncertain future as it tries to compete with cheaper renewables and natural gas. (Associated Press)
RENEWABLES: “We need to talk about wind. We need to talk about solar.” A West Virginia business summit on coal’s comeback shifts to a conversation about the importance of renewable energy. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
SOLAR:
• Danville, Virginia officials consider power purchase agreements for two solar projects that would generate about 50,000 MWh per year. (Danville Register & Bee)
• A pair of companies win a combined $449,000 in federal grants to finance solar projects in and around Charlottesville, Virginia. (The Daily Progress)
• Florida Power & Light nears completion of a solar canopy installation at a Boynton Beach park. (The Palm Beach Post)
• A rapid increase in solar energy projects in a Virginia county brings economic benefits as well as controversy. (Virginia Business)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Walmart installs its first electric vehicle charging station in Louisiana. (The Daily Advertiser)
TRANSMISSION: Dominion Energy presents plans to install transmission lines under the Rappahannock River in eastern Virginia. (Rappahannock Record)
UTILITIES: State regulators say Dominion Energy customers paid more than $300 million in excessive rates last year. (Associated Press)
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POLITICS:
• A failed nuclear project has scrambled energy politics in deep-red South Carolina, bringing together a divergent coalition in support of clean energy. (Sierra)
• A U.S. senator requests documents related to an alleged “pay to play” scheme involving a Trump campaign donor seeking a $5 billion federal loan guarantee for an Alabama nuclear project. (ThinkProgress)
• West Virginia’s Supreme Court denies a last-minute bid by former coal CEO Don Blankenship to get on the November ballot. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY: An editorial board says Georgia regulators overseeing the Vogtle nuclear project must ensure the contractor keeps costs in check and limit the financial fallout on ratepayers. (Savannah Morning News)