EMISSIONS: Duke Energy identifies a South Carolina gas leak using satellites, illustrating the methane emissions problem experts say plagues the oil and gas industry as it rushes to ramp up production. (Bloomberg)
WIND:
• An agency under Virginia’s attorney general presses Dominion Energy to explain why so many records about the cost of its planned offshore wind farm are confidential. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• Louisiana lawmakers ask state regulators to study the best way to develop an offshore wind energy pilot project in the Gulf of Mexico by 2026. (Louisiana Illuminator)
SOLAR:
• A North Carolina town increases the rate its electric utility will pay for surplus power from rooftop solar owners to make solar more financially attractive for homeowners. (Mountaineer)
• Virginia and other eastern states explore agrivoltaic projects that combine solar power generation and livestock grazing. (Bay Journal)
• A municipal Texas utility warns customers of a $30 monthly solar surcharge as it launches a co-op program for city residents to install battery storage and buy solar power. (KTSM)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Georgia and Rivian Automotive sign a deal in which state and local governments will pay $1.5 billion in incentives for the electric vehicle maker to build a $5 billion factory near Atlanta. (Associated Press)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority works with Tennessee energy officials to prepare for electrification of the transportation system as electric vehicle ownership grows. (Utility Dive)
• Louisiana lawmakers advance a bill to impose an annual state road usage fee for drivers who own electric or hybrid vehicles. (Lafayette Daily Advertiser)
GRID: Texas’ grid manager braces for spiking temperatures this weekend and resulting power demand that could produce blackout conditions. (Houston Chronicle)
PIPELINES:
• A pipeline company plans to add three compressor stations to increase its capacity on a line that runs from the Permian Basin to south Texas. (S&P Global)
• A Virginia gas company will begin using aerial drones to inspect its pipeline infrastructure. (news release)
OIL & GAS: Federal regulators reject a pipeline company’s proposal to offer what it touts as responsibly sourced natural gas, largely because regulators don’t want to develop criteria for determining what’s responsibly sourced. (S&P Global)
COAL: West Virginia’s coal industry employed fewer workers in 2021 than any year since 1890, even as it saw increased production. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
CLIMATE: Texas braces for more frequent and more destructive wildfires stemming from climate change and population growth. (Texas Observer)
BIOGAS:
• A Texas waste management agency partners with an energy company to build a renewable natural gas plant on a landfill. (KBTX)
• A U.S. waste management agency expects renewable gas plants in Arkansas and Oklahoma to begin operations next year as it plans to invest $825 million in expanding its gas infrastructure. (Biomass Magazine)
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