UTILITIES: As the Southeast grapples with a pandemic and record heat waves, utilities like Georgia Power prepare to reinstate shut-offs for customers who can’t pay their bills. (NPR)
ALSO: Following the defeat of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, Dominion CEO Thomas Farrell’s history of conflict with Black communities — and celebrating the Confederacy — is under increased scrutiny. (HuffPost)
***SPONSORED LINK: Register today for Veterans Advanced Energy Week, August 10-13, a virtual learning experience dedicated to military veterans and spouses in advanced energy and national security. Learn more at www.vetsenergyproject.org. ***
SOLAR:
• San Antonio, Texas, utility CPS Energy solicits information from solar and storage developers as part of a plan to double its solar capacity. (San Antonio Express News)
• Construction begins on two major Duke Energy solar projects in North Carolina. (Energy + Environment Leader)
• Three Arkansas solar companies are named on Solar Power World’s 2020 Top Solar Contractors list. (Talk Business & Politics)
EMISSIONS: An estimated 300 metric tons of methane hung over north Florida in May, but the source remains a mystery. (Bloomberg)
OIL & GAS:
• Oil and gas companies and utilities fund police foundations in cities like New Orleans, according to a report by a nonprofit think tank. (The Guardian)
• The president will travel to Texas oil fields this week to stump for Republicans and promote the oil and gas industry. (Oil Price)
• An environmental organization’s report says 11% of oil and gas flares in the Permian Basin were not functioning properly and 5% were completely unlit, spewing methane. (KUT)
• The shale revolution in Texas’ Permian Basin is over, but some experts and officials worry the state’s economy is too tethered to fossil fuels. (Texas Observer)
PIPELINES: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will propose an amendment in the next federal budget bill to prohibit the Army Corps from using federal money to issue pipeline permits under part of the Clean Water Act. (HuffPost)
COAL: A federal judge rules that a coal company owned by the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is liable for more than 3,000 violations of federal clean water standards due to pollution from a mine. (WVPB)
NUCLEAR: Developers install 48 new sirens around Plant Vogtle in case of a nuclear emergency and will begin testing them soon. (WRDW)
***SPONSORED LINK: Join Southern Alliance for Clean Energy & Electrify the South for a free virtual Electric Vehicle test drive to see why so many people are going
POLITICS: The Trump administration plans to nominate Virginia State Corporation Commission Chair Mark Christie to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (Virginia Mercury)
COMMENTARY: A clean energy advocacy group explains the Knoxville charter amendment it supports to bring more “accountability, cost-savings, and transparency” to the city’s utility board. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)