PIPELINES: A stalled 12-mile pipeline proposed by Louisville Gas & Electric would be built at ratepayers’ expense but nearly all its benefits would go to one customer — the distiller that produces Jim Beam bourbon, according to company documents revealed during court proceedings. (WFPL)

ALSO:
• Former Vice President Al Gore speaks at a rally against the 49-mile Byhalia Connection pipeline in Memphis, Tennessee. (MLK50, Commercial Appeal)
• The first grants have been awarded from the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s pledge to give nearly $20 million to benefit the Appalachian Trail and other conservation and recreation projects. (Roanoke Times)

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TEXAS:
• Texas oil refineries and petrochemical plants released an estimated 4 million extra pounds of pollution last month, disproportionately affecting Black and Latino neighborhoods in the Houston metro area. (Inside Climate News)
• Excessive flaring by oil wells and refineries across Texas last month sparks discussion about the industry’s contributions to climate change. (CNBC)
• Texas regulators knew for more than a decade that natural gas plants across the state were vulnerable to a freeze but declined to take action. (Houston Chronicle)
• The disruptions inspire a wave of Texans to purchase home generators, which could tilt the state’s electric market. (Houston Chronicle)

COAL:
• Coal companies owned by the family of West Virginia’s governor owe the federal government nearly $3.2 million in fines after violating a major water pollution settlement, according to court documents. (Mountain State Spotlight/ProPublica)
• The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration releases coronavirus guidance for mines, but the new rules are voluntary and not binding. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• After a life spent growing his family’s mid-sized coal company into an industry giant, Evan Massey dies at age 94. (Richmond Times-Dispatch/Legacy.com)

OIL & GAS:
• Arkansas lawmakers advance legislation to pay for a road to a still-speculative facility to convert natural gas to refined fuels such as diesel. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
• Chesapeake Energy employees win an award for developing an adaptable plug that protects workers from methane and other harmful emissions during inspection and maintenance work on oil tanks. (Oklahoman)

SOLAR: Georgia Power announces it plans to add 2,260 MW of renewables, mostly solar, to its energy mix by 2025. (CleanTechnica)

WIND: A Florida shipping company is among many in the industry who previously partnered with the offshore oil industry but has quickly moved to support offshore wind development in recent years. (E&E News)

TRANSITION: Texas lawmakers consider legislation to prevent the state’s investment funds from going to any company that cuts ties with the oil, gas or coal industries. (Texas Tribune)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Electric vehicles are at a turning point, but incidents like last month’s Texas storm demonstrate the challenges that still remain. (YaleEnvironment360)
• Oklahoma lawmakers advance a bill to establish an electric vehicle registration fee and eventually impose a tax on certain charging stations. (NonDoc)
• Southern California electric vehicle start-up Mullen Technologies eyes Memphis, Tennessee, as a possible spot for an SUV factory. (CleanTechnica)

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HYDROELECTRIC: Officials in Little Rock, Arkansas, point to record high levels of power produced by Murray Hydroelectric Plant during February’s storms and blackouts as evidence of its enduring value. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

COMMENTARY:
• The federal government should shut down attempts to drill for oil in Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve, according to a public lands advocate. (National Parks Traveler)
• The water crisis unleashed in Mississippi by last month’s winter storms should serve as a warning for infrastructure problems across the country, writes a news editor. (Slate)

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.