ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Ford announces it plans to build up to 500,000 next-generation electric pickups a year at its BlueOval City plant in Tennessee, a facility the company says is its “blueprint” for future global production. (Reuters, Memphis Commercial Appeal)

ALSO:
• Ford says its electric vehicle unit, dubbed “Ford Model e,” is expected to lose $2.3 billion this year and should be viewed as a startup. (Associated Press)
• While Tennessee becomes a leader in electric vehicle manufacturing, a charging company executive says the state still has a “still a long ways to go” in developing infrastructure for driving them. (WKRN)
• North Carolina lawmakers introduce a bill to increase registration fees for electric vehicles to make up for lost gas tax revenue, with a sponsor saying “I love EVs … [but] we have to be honest about how we’re going to fund our roads in the future.” (WBTV)

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NUCLEAR:
• The Tennessee Valley Authority announces the planned location for its first small modular nuclear reactor, and signs a joint agreement with three other companies to help develop the project. (Knoxville News Sentinel)
• Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signs bills to advance nuclear energy as well as coal mine methane extraction as part of his “All American, All-of-the-Above Energy Plan,” which critics have said overlooks opportunities for renewable energy. (news release, Energy News Network archive)

FOSSIL FUELS: Texas lawmakers “seem intent on picking winners and losers” as they consider legislation that favors new natural gas capacity over clean energy. (Dallas Morning News)

OIL & GAS: Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announces the state has plugged more than 100 abandoned oil wells during the last two months, with thousands more to go. (Associated Press)

COAL: After criticism from advocates, the federal Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization program introduces new guidance to ensure community input before projects are approved. (Appalachian Voices)

SOLAR:
• County officials in South Carolina say proposed solar farms will net substantially more tax revenue for local governments than if the land was used for farming. (WIS-TV)
• Norfolk, Virginia, officials again delay a vote on a proposed solar array atop a former landfill to allow more time for community engagement. (Virginian-Pilot)
• An executive for Meta says solar potential is a primary consideration as the company looks for data center locations, citing positive experiences with TVA and Alabama Power. (PV Magazine)

STORAGE: Appalachian Power says its proposed 8 MW energy storage project will help improve reliability in portions of three counties in western Virginia. (SWVA Today)

WIND: Developers hold public information sessions on a proposed North Carolina offshore wind farm, and say most attendees are supportive of the idea. (Carteret County News-Times)

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Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.