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)