CLIMATE: A recent survey finds nearly 4 in 5 adults in Virginia say they are interested in news about how climate change affects their communities. (Energy News Network)

SOLAR:
• An Arkansas school district invests in solar panels and energy efficiency upgrades and starts putting the savings into teacher salaries. (E&E News)
• A solar developer starts construction on a 284 MW solar-plus-storage project west of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. (Solar Industry)
• An Arkansas renewable energy company breaks ground on two solar arrays, one for a school and another for a water association. (TB&P)

COAL:
• After making it a centerpiece of his 2016 campaign, President Trump has all but stopped even mentioning coal in 2020. (E&E News)
• COVID-19 is making life even harder for Appalachian miners living with the terminal condition known as black lung disease. (PRI’s The World)
• At a hearing, environmental groups ask Alabama regulators for stricter state permits for Alabama Power’s controversial Plant Barry. (WPMI)

TRANSPORTATION:
• West Virginia has been chosen as a testbed for a hyperloop transportation project, in which pods carrying passengers or cargo zip through sealed, mostly airless tubes using magnetic levitation. (Governing)
• A Florida electric vehicle charging station network will begin charging per kilowatt-hour instead of by the minute. (WJCT)

OIL & GAS: The Coast Guard partners with multiple Florida agencies to clean up oil that washed ashore on a national seashore after Hurricane Sally. (WKRG)

UTILITIES: Memphis’ decision on where to source its power supply could be its best chance to fight climate change. (Commercial Appeal, subscription)

WIND: The share of electricity generation in Texas coming from wind power continues to grow, increasing 11% last year compared to 2018. (Renewables Now)

COMMENTARY:
• Florida policymakers and regulators have an opportunity to build on the state’s already strong electric vehicle sales, a policy advocate writes. (CleanEnergy.org)
• Virginia needs to update its statewide building code to protect residents from high energy costs and climate change, a Sierra Club volunteer writes. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• North Carolinians have cooperated and sacrificed for the common good in response to the pandemic, and a similar response is needed for climate change, a professor and environmental nonprofit director write. (NC Policy Watch)

Dan has two decades' experience working in print, digital and broadcast media. Prior to joining the Energy News Network as managing editor in December 2017, he oversaw watchdog reporting at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, part of the USA Today Network, and before that spent several years as a freelance journalist covering energy, business and technology. Dan is a former Midwest Energy News journalism fellow and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communications from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.