RENEWABLES: Community advocates hope federal tax credit for projects in “energy communities” long anchored by fossil fuel industries will spur more wind and solar projects in Appalachian coalfields. (Grist)

ALSO:
• Texas lawmakers consider a raft of legislation to boost oil and natural gas while undercutting renewables, threatening the state’s status as a national leader in wind and solar energy generation. (Reckon)
• Residents tell a Florida county board they’re opposed to a proposed clean energy park because they want it located in an industrial area instead of next to residential neighborhoods. (Orlando Sentinel, subscription)

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SOLAR:
• Last week’s announcement of an order of 2.5 million solar panels from Qcells Georgia factories illustrates a domestic solar manufacturing boost kickstarted by massive federal incentives and protectionist trade policies. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• A 35 MW solar farm in Tennessee that will help power Vanderbilt University begins operation as the first project contracted under a Tennessee Valley Authority program to meet large customers’ demand for clean power. (Solar Power World, news release)
• A Virginia town council unanimously approves a 5 MW solar facility after the developer reformulates its proposal. (Gazette-Virginian)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• An auto parts supplier announces it will build a Georgia factory, becoming the latest company to plan a new project near Hyundai’s planned electric vehicle plant. (Capitol Beat News Service)
• Kia unveils a new electric vehicle model it will make at a Georgia factory. (WSB)
• South Carolina’s goal to have 500 electric school buses in operation by 2027 has made the state a leader in the EV bus transition despite its congressional delegation’s reluctance. (Government Technology)
• A South Carolina town considers partnering with Dominion Energy to install electric vehicle chargers in a municipal parking garage. (Journal Scene)

EFFICIENCY: Climate and consumer advocacy groups call on Florida regulators to add a public hearing and more transparency as they consider how to modernize the state’s energy efficiency rule. (Utility Dive)

OIL & GAS: A climate charter on the ballot for voters in a Texas city would prevent a municipal utility from selling water to fossil fuel plants outside city limits, potentially threatening two natural gas-fired power plants. (El Paso Matters) 

COAL:
• West Virginia regulators accept public comments on a proposal to increase rates for energy companies to temporarily take over operation of a coal-fired power plant slated for closure to see if it’s worth keeping it open. (WV Metro News)
• Coal’s power market share drops from 40% a decade ago to just 15% in PJM’s 13-state region that includes West Virginia. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

EMISSIONS: North Carolina wetlands likely contribute about a third of its methane emissions, but experts warn against trying to mitigate or control those emissions because of their outstanding ecological benefits. (Wilmington StarNews)

FINANCE: West Virginia’s coal and natural gas severance taxes contribute to the state’s $1 billion-plus budget surplus, but experts warn against over-reliance on the revenue source because of its history of wild fluctuations. (Mountain State Spotlight)

CLIMATE: Spring weather brings heightened threat levels to the power grid, as shown by the recent outbreak of storms and tornadoes that slammed the Southeast and Midwest. (The Equation)

COMMENTARY: Southwestern Virginia is at the heart of the Biden administration’s nationwide experiment to find out whether tax credits and incentives can boost renewable energy production in fossil fuel-reliant places, an editor writes. (Cardinal News)

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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.