OFFSHORE WIND: The Biden administration initiates an environmental review for Avangrid’s Kitty Hawk offshore wind farm, which would be the first offshore wind project off North Carolina. (E&E News, Coastal Review)

ALSO: “I just don’t want to see or hear them.” A growing number of North Carolina coastal communities are pushing back against offshore wind. (State Port Pilot)

SOLAR:
• Investor-owned utilities have spent millions to slow the growth of solar energy in Florida, according to an environmental policy group’s new report. (News4Jax)
• A Duke Energy subsidiary flips the switch on two Texas solar projects that will help T-Mobile and the city of Austin meet climate goals. (WFAE)
• Duke Energy now owns, operates or purchases more than 10,000 MW of solar and wind, though they account for only 8% of its electricity mix. (PV magazine) 

COAL:
• The declining use of coal-fired power plants in Virginia is raising questions about how long utilities should keep them open. (Virginia Mercury)
• A report by University of Tennessee researchers concludes that three West Virginia coal plants will not be economical to operate in five years. (WMKY)

COAL ASH:
• Eastern Tennessee activists fear the Tennessee Valley Authority will shutter two power plants without safely containing its leaky coal ash pits. (NRDC)
• Duke University researchers discover low levels of toxic coal ash in soil from a Tennessee playground near a TVA coal plant. (WVLT)

OIL & GAS:
• Liquified natural gas producers are investing in carbon capture and storage technology as they try to make the case for being part of the clean energy transition. (Houston Chronicle)
• Entergy says it will submit plans to build a 1,125-megawatt power plant in southeast Texas that can run on natural gas or hydrogen. (Beaumont Enterprise)

CLIMATE:
• A Louisiana climate task force identifies industrial sources as the state’s biggest carbon emitters and endorses seven high-level strategies for the state to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. (WWNO, NOLA.com)
• In Texas, dozens of unions endorse a series of recommendations to reduce emissions while creating jobs and protecting fossil fuel workers. (Grist)
• Climate change is making Atlanta hotter, but extreme heat is putting some neighborhoods at more risk than others, with people of color, poor people, and other marginalized populations bearing the brunt. (Atlanta) 

UTILITIES: A coalition of 80 groups call on the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a roadmap for how the Tennessee Valley Authority will transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030. (PV magazine)

NUCLEAR: Southern Company announces more delays and nearly half a billion in extra costs before it completes its Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

GRID: More extreme weather is bringing increased power outages to Gulf Coast states, and it’s not clear whether utilities are developing resilience plans. (MPB)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tesla wins approval to open three direct-to-consumer stores in Virginia, a ruling criticized by the state’s auto dealers association. (Times-Dispatch)

COMMENTARY: A South Carolina state representative who sponsored a bill exempting residential solar panels from property taxes says the new law will help customers advance clean energy. (Post and Courier)

Dan has two decades' experience working in print, digital and broadcast media. Prior to joining the Energy News Network as managing editor in December 2017, he oversaw watchdog reporting at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, part of the USA Today Network, and before that spent several years as a freelance journalist covering energy, business and technology. Dan is a former Midwest Energy News journalism fellow and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communications from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.