PIPELINES: The proposed Byhalia Connection pipeline and its disproportionate effects on majority-Black neighborhoods in southwest Memphis become a flashpoint in a national conversation about environmental justice and eminent domain, while Memphis native Justin Timberlake becomes the latest celebrity to speak out against the project. (Southerly/MLK50: Justice Through Journalism/The Guardian; Commercial Appeal)

OIL & GAS:
• Records show that a west Texas disposal site accepting toxic and sometimes radioactive waste from the oil and gas industry has struggled to safely manage waste even as it seeks to expand its reach internationally. (DeSmog)
• A Texas Republican congressmember introduces legislation to accelerate permitting to ship liquefied natural gas to other countries. (E&E News, subscription)

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SOLAR:
• Federal projections show Texas is on track to add 10 GW of utility-scale solar by the end of 2022, making up a full third of new capacity scheduled to come online in the U.S. (Renewables Now)
• North Carolina regulators approve a 5 MW solar farm on a former landfill in Asheville despite its higher-than-usual costs. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• A Florida county approves a 74.5 MW solar farm as part of an expansive Florida Power & Light effort to grow its solar energy capacity. (Treasure Coast Newspapers)
• Ten Texas breweries power their operations at least in part through solar energy. (Austin Chronicle) 

UTILITIES:
• South Carolina’s governor nominates a former U.S. attorney and chair of the state’s House Judiciary Committee to lead troubled state-owned utility Santee Cooper. (Post and Courier)
• Major Southeast utilities must accelerate the closure of coal-fired power plants to reduce emissions and avoid climate disaster, according to an annual report by a regional clean-energy group. (Georgia Recorder, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)

GRID:
• Consultants say Entergy New Orleans cut four times as much power as necessary during cold temperatures on Mardi Gras and perhaps should be penalized for the error. (NOLA.com)
• A Duke Energy transmission official says improvements to the grid — perhaps the company’s past projection of $13 billion over a decade in North Carolina — will be crucial for a large-scale transition to renewable energy. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Two Texas wind farms sue Citigroup for ignoring their force majeure declarations after the February freeze stopped their operations and instead billing them inflated electricity prices. (Reuters)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Electric van and bus maker Arrival departs from the traditional assembly line to instead use multi-tasking robots at its microfactories in North Carolina, South Carolina and England. (New York Times)
• North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is among 12 governors who signed a letter asking President Joe Biden to ban the sale of gas-powered cars and light trucks by 2035. (WNCN/WAVY)
• Amazon tests electric vehicle maker Rivian’s delivery vans in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the third national market after Los Angeles and San Francisco. (Orange County Business Journal)

EMISSIONS: North Carolina’s industrialized hog farms and dairy operations become a hot topic in the debate over restricting methane emissions or using them to power expansive new biogas systems largely located in communities of color or low-income areas. (NC Policy Watch)

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CLIMATE: A North Carolina pastor uses faith and religion to help the state’s communities tap into the emotion surrounding climate change as a motivation to action. (YES! Magazine) 

COMMENTARY: The United Mine Workers’ endorsement of President Joe Biden’s clean-energy transition marks a first step toward talks to help coal-producing regions, but marks only the latest fight for the union’s longtime leader, write an editorial board and state commentator. (Herald-Dispatch, WV Metro News)

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.