OVERSIGHT: North Carolina’s utility customer advocate argues that Duke Energy doesn’t need state approval to join a regional energy exchange market with other utilities. (Charlotte Business Journal)
PIPELINES: Tree sitters in western Virginia continue to block the Mountain Valley Pipeline, more than 50 days since a judge ordered them down. (The Trek)
WIND: Construction begins on a 345 MW wind farm in central Texas, with plans to begin operations later this year. (Energy Global)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• General Motors Co. reportedly will build two new electric vehicles for Honda, including an Acura to be built at its Spring Hill plant in Tennessee. (E&E News, subscription)
• Electric vehicle maker Tesla anticipates construction of new manufacturing plants, including one in Texas, will enable it to meet rising global demand. (Bloomberg)
SOLAR:
• Duke Energy buys a solar power facility under construction near Austin, Texas, in an effort to double its renewable energy capacity by 2025. (WRAL)
• A West Virginia county approves tax incentives for a 100 MW solar farm planned for a brownfield site. (Herald-Mail Media)
• A Tennessee-based solar company with operations in 15 states closes a round of investment that attracted $225 million from existing shareholders. (Tennessean)
POLITICS:
• A newly elected Republican congressman from Texas introduces a bill to prohibit President-elect Joe Biden from declaring a moratorium on new oil and gas drilling permits on federal lands. (KOSA)
• A retired coal mining executive from southwestern Virginia is among the eight citizens appointed to the state’s new bipartisan redistricting commission that will draw new legislative districts. (Virginia Mercury)
COMMENTARY:
• A small North Carolina electric cooperative fights energy poverty through broadband internet expansion and deploying “smart” devices to lower energy bills, writes its president and CEO. (Triangle Business Journal)
• The Republican utility regulator who won reelection in Georgia this week has expressed tentative support for solar power, but needs to more strongly advocate for it, writes a publication that supports electric vehicles and renewables. (Electrek)
• A Republican congressman from Kentucky warns against the Federal Reserve incorporating climate change concerns into financial regulation. (CNBC)