COAL: Eastern Tennessee officials and environmental groups react to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s plans to retire two coal-fired plants, one of which was the site of a massive coal ash spill and the other of which has been linked to nearby contamination. (Oak Ridger)

ALSO:
• Environmental and ratepayer advocacy groups oppose American Electric Power’s plan to present new cost scenarios to keep a West Virginia coal-fired power plant open beyond 2028. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• Alabama miners’ strike against Warrior Met Coal enters its fifth month. (AL.com)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Firestone breaks ground on a Kentucky factory expansion to produce air suspension systems for electric vehicles. (WYMT, Associated Press)

OIL & GAS:
• Oklahoma natural gas companies bank on the idea that consumers who want cleaner alternative energy sources will buy not just renewables but responsibly-sourced natural gas. (The Oklahoman)
• A planned oil export terminal proposed in Louisiana could undercut the state’s $2 billion bid to restore degraded wetlands in Barataria Bay, according to a study commissioned by the company leading the restoration project. (NOLA.com)
• Houston-based natural gas company Tellurian signs a deal with a Royal Dutch Shell subsidiary to purchase gas from a planned Louisiana liquid natural gas export facility. (The Advocate)

POLITICS:
• Speculation and intrigue swirl around an omnibus North Carolina energy bill that would replace five Duke Energy coal plants largely with natural gas as the legislation heads to the state senate. (North Carolina Health News)
• Dominion Energy gave $200,000 to a national association supporting Virginia’s incumbent attorney general, violating the spirit of his pledge to stop taking money from regulated monopolies. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• Virginia’s Democratic candidate for governor visits an electric cooperative and reiterates his plan to attain 100% clean energy by 2035. (WHSV)

WIND: Oklahoma acquired the third most wind power of any state in 2020, after Texas in first and Iowa second. (The Oklahoman)

SOLAR:
• Solar installers in Florida’s southeastern region argue the technology can not only cut electric bills but add to the value of one’s home. (WLTV)
• Oklahoma City developers plan to incorporate solar power to build the region’s first “zero energy” neighborhood and complete a long-stalled urban renewal project that has so far created one of the city’s ritziest residential areas. (The Oklahoman)

NUCLEAR: Federal regulators take a step toward approving a Texas storage facility for spent nuclear fuel. (Power Engineering) 

HYDROGEN: A West Virginia University researcher receives a $1.25 million award to study how to increase production of hydrogen gas. (Inter-Mountain)

UTILITIES: Southwestern Electric Power Co. asks Arkansas regulators for a rate increase of about $18 per month for a typical bill to cover renewables investments. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

COMMENTARY:
• Members of a regional clean energy group oppose using natural gas and accompanying pipelines to replace two of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s coal-fired power plants. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
• A Texas editorial board expresses frustration with the governor’s acceptance of a $1 million campaign contribution from a donor whose company made $2.4 billion during the February winter storm. (Houston Chronicle)

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Mason Adams

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.