SOLAR: An Appalachian Virginia county considers a proposed 300 MW solar farm, which would be by far the largest in the region and one of the largest in the state. (Roanoke Times)
ALSO: A coastal Virginia county school division partners with Dominion Energy and Sun Tribe Solar to install solar panels on school buildings. (Daily Press)
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OIL & GAS:
• The new owner of West Virginia’s largest gas distribution company says it will replace 1,500 miles of pipe and expand service to unserved and underserved areas. (Parkersburg News & Sentinel)
• Residents of Shawnee, Oklahoma, will vote Tuesday whether to renew a 25-year franchise agreement with Oklahoma Natural Gas. (Shawnee News-Star)
• Arkansas marks a century since the discovery of oil in El Dorado created a five-year economic boom. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
COAL: Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities request proposals for 300 to 900 MW to fill an anticipated shortfall created by the expected retirements of three coal-fired units. (news release)
PIPELINES:
• Virginia regulators seek comments on Mountain Valley Pipeline’s proposal to build a compressor station named after a Pittsburgh Steeler linebacker. (Danville Register & Bee)
• A county board of supervisors candidate in western Virginia makes opposition to the Mountain Valley Pipeline a focal point of his campaign. (Roanoke Times)
NUCLEAR: Two companies that provide fuel and technical services for nuclear power plants reorganize and invest in new facilities in central Virginia. (News & Advance)
POLITICS: West Virginia’s gas, oil and coal advocacy groups prepare for the upcoming state legislative session, with the latter aiming to preserve coal-fired power plants and access to international markets for steel-making coal. (The State Journal/WV News)
COMMENTARY:
• South Carolina lawmakers’ debate on whether to sell state-owned utility Santee Cooper to NextEra should prompt a substantive discussion on utility lobbying, writes a newspaper editorial board. (Post and Courier)
• Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who is running for the office again in 2021, should be held accountable for his past support of interstate natural gas pipelines, writes an anti-pipeline activist. (Washington Post)
• A Louisiana-based environmental journalist compares Republicans’ unfounded accusations of election fraud to their denial of climate change and environmental science. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)