SOLAR:
• West Virginia solar advocates push state lawmakers to authorize a community solar program and build at least 200 MW of solar power statewide. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• Arkansas sees a surge in solar-plus-storage projects in queue for grid operator MISO’s 14-state footprint. (Arkansas Business)

WIND:
• Virginia regulators set a Nov. 21 hearing date to consider a recently reached consumer protection agreement for Dominion Energy’s proposed offshore wind project. (Richmond-Times Dispatch)
• An asset management company acquires a shovel-ready 160 MW Texas wind project that will power social media company Meta. (Renewables Now)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: North Carolina residents fight a company’s proposal to mine lithium for electric vehicle batteries. (WFAE) 

HYDROGEN: Exxon’s proposal to use federal funding to convert natural gas into “blue” hydrogen at a Texas refinery catches criticism from environmentalists who say doing so would further entrench fossil fuels. (Inside Climate News)

OIL & GAS:
• European disruption and global demand have driven natural gas prices high enough that drilling has returned to rural northwest Louisiana. (NOLA.com)
• A Texas oil company tries to claw back $100 million bonuses it paid to two executives to sort through assets left by a legendary oil wildcatter and defend it against lawsuits. (Forbes)

POLITICS:
• U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia slams President Joe Biden for calling for more coal plant closures. (CNN)
• Down-ballot elections for North Carolina’s state legislature and city council in Corpus Christi, Texas, carry big ramifications for climate and fossil fuel policy in those states. (NPR)

NUCLEAR: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposal to build a small modular nuclear reactor in the state’s coal counties leads to questions about the technology. (Virginia Mercury)

GRID: A New Orleans water and sewer board plans to modernize its water drainage system to accommodate intensifying storms largely by replacing its obsolete power source with a new Entergy substation. (NOLA.com)

UTILITIES:
• Duke Energy begins the process of selling its commercial renewable business by pricing it at $4 billion. (PV Magazine)
• Environmental and consumer advocates get their turn before Georgia regulators this week to weigh in on Georgia Power’s request for a nearly 12% rate increase. (Capitol Beat News Service)
• A Florida municipal utility will downsize its sponsorship program for charities and businesses after a city manager’s review. (Tampa Bay Times)

COMMENTARY:
• The proliferation of electric vehicles is building resilience in Florida by providing an option to power homes during hurricane-induced outages, write two climate activists. (The Invading Sea)
• Virginia should continue its commitment to the clean energy transition, especially now with federal support, writes the director of an environmental advocacy group. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• Now is the time for Louisiana and Texas to pivot from fossil fuels into offshore wind and green hydrogen or risk losing their status as top energy producers, writes an environmental columnist. (CleanTechnica)

More from the Energy News Network: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West
View this campaign in your browser.

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.