SOLAR: The sweeping energy law passed by Virginia lawmakers in 2020 locked in demand for clean power, sparking tension in rural communities that are now seeing thousands of acres developed for solar arrays. (Virginia Mercury) 

ALSO:
• A central South Carolina county becomes a hotspot for solar development, with 11 projects totalling 460 MW announced in the last four years. (The Neighbor)
• The University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana offers a new energy innovation program based around an on-campus solar array and learning lab. (Texarkana Gazette)
• A Charlottesville company proposes a new solar facility in a central Virginia county. (Daily Progress)

***SPONSORED LINK: North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association is offering a virtual clean energy continuing legal education (CLE) course on Feb. 2, with a specific focus on the Southeast region. Register today! ***

PIPELINES:
• The Mountain Valley Pipeline faces permitting and regulatory headwinds with a shift in presidential administrations, raising the question of whether it can be completed. (Associated Press)
• An Arkansas pipe maker complains about the White House’s cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline after it contracted to provide 190 miles of pipe for the project. (Magnolia Banner-News)
• The Mountain Valley and Mariner East 2 Expansion pipelines are among those that are being built but which have been delayed by legal and regulatory battles. (Reuters)

TRANSITION:
• San Antonio’s city-owned electrical utility delays the release of details around the planned early closure of its Spruce coal plant because of concerns the document includes confidential information. (San Antonio Express-News)
• U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia carries a bill to funnel $4 billion in tax credits to manufacturers in coal-producing communities that have lost jobs as the country transitions to cleaner energy. (Times West Virginian)

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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.