UTILITIES: Southern Company insists that it can reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 while keeping natural gas as a central part of its business. (Greentech Media)

ALSO:
• Entergy partners with Mitsubishi Power to develop decarbonization projects at its utilities in four Southeast states. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)
• Tennessee Valley Authority will host a second virtual open house this evening regarding next steps at its Bull Run Fossil Fuel Plant. (Oak Ridger)

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PIPELINES:
• The Mountain Valley Pipeline’s developer asks federal regulators to lift a stop-work order so that it can wrap up work before winter. (Roanoke Times)
• A Houston firm purchases the Seahawk Pipeline project connecting the Eagle Ford and Permian Basins with an export terminal at the Port of Calhoun. (Houston Business Journal)

OIL & GAS: Texas oil and gas regulators plugged 1,477 abandoned wells in the latest fiscal year, exceeding a target set by the state legislature. (World Oil)

STORAGE: The falling cost of lithium-ion batteries is making electric vehicles and renewables more competitive with fossil-fuel burning cars and power plants. (Houston Chronicle)

OVERSIGHT: South Carolina lawmakers elect four new members to the Public Service Commission three years after the state’s nuclear project fiasco. (The State)

COAL:
• An Alabama environmental group calls on Gov. Kay Ivey to support more action to clean up a toxic coal site in North Birmingham. (Birmingham Times)
• A team of coal miners suffers smoke inhalation and one is hospitalized after a fire at a coal mine in Cameron, West Virginia. (Wheeling News-Register)

WIND:
• An Oklahoma Republican is among four U.S. senators introducing legislation to eliminate federal production tax credits for wind energy. (Lawton Constitution)
• Authorities are investigating an accidental fall death at a West Texas wind farm. (San Angelo Standard-Times)

SOLAR: A Kentucky university installs solar panels at its research farm to demonstrate how they can save money for farmers. (news release)

COMMENTARY:
• An analysis Dominion Energy reluctantly made public in Virginia last month shows the high cost to customers of propping up the company’s coal plants, an environmental advocate writes. (Virginia Mercury)
• Partisan fault lines are getting fuzzier as more Republicans recognize the economic potential of clean energy, a Florida publisher writes. (Florida Politics)
• As Appalachian Power studies the impact of closing two coal-fired power plants in West Virginia, local communities and stakeholders need to “weigh in and prepare for battle,” an editorial board writes. (Herald-Dispatch)

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Dan Haugen

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.