WIND: One of the nation’s largest utilities has a $2 billion plan to acquire three Oklahoma wind farms that would provide power to several Southeast states — but the future of the project is still up in the air. (E&E News)
ALSO: An east Texas wind farm that will supply power to Nike and an Austin utility begins operations. (Renewables Now)
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EMISSIONS: After weeks of delay, Virginia Democrats unveil the details of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, a plan to get Virginia to zero carbon by 2050. (Virginia Mercury)
SOLAR:
• The West Virginia Senate’s energy committee took three minutes to pass a bill that would make it easier for companies to use solar energy, despite the coal industry lobbying against it. (WV Metro News)
• A solar project in Fayetteville, Arkansas, now powers 66% of the city government’s operations. (Yale Climate Connections)
OIL & GAS: A Republican on the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the oil and gas industry, is preparing a first-of-its-kind report on natural gas flaring. (Bloomberg)
PIPELINES: The CEO of Texas pipeline company Energy Transfer Partners says he is “scared to death” of a fracking ban supported by Democratic presidential candidates. (E&E News, subscription)
NUCLEAR: South Carolina utility Santee Cooper and contractor Westinghouse agree on how assets from the failed V.C. Summer nuclear plant project will be divided. (Charlotte Observer)
OVERSIGHT: Oklahoma state leaders hire a vendor to update the state’s energy assurance plan, which outlines how to secure energy for businesses and residents in times of disaster. (Oklahoman)
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COAL:
• The U.S. government will provide more than $11 million for Kentucky to clean up abandoned coal mines as part of its reclamation grants. (WBKO)
• West Virginia power plant employees and others say the state’s coal culture is evolving as the industry declines even further. (Christian Science Monitor)
COMMENTARY:
• Three elected officials from Virginia vow to tackle climate change by pursuing more renewable energy policies like the Clean Economy Act. (Utility Dive)
• North Carolina regulators need to find a compromise for who pays for Duke Energy’s coal ash cleanup, an editorial board writes. (Charlotte Observer)