MANUFACTURING: Georgia has brought in billions of dollars of new investment in solar, electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, and other Southeast states are likely to follow despite political leadership that’s wary of the clean energy transition. (Guardian)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A fifth automotive supplier announces it will build a Georgia factory to support Hyundai’s planned electric vehicle plant. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• Hyundai celebrates the launch of a new electric SUV at its Alabama plant. (AL.com)
• North Carolina environmental officials push to adopt rules this year to accelerate sales of electric trucks and buses. (WFAE)
• Duke Energy announces it will build a microgrid-integrated performance center in North Carolina to support commercial electric vehicle fleets. (news release)
Check out our job board!
Looking for a clean energy job, or want to spread the word about your open position? Check out our new job listings board! Listings are also included in our weekly newsletter.
SOLAR:
• Virginia lawmakers decline to act on a bill to allow Appalachian Power customers to buy solar power directly from third-party providers. (Roanoke Times)
• A Virginia county calls for public input on its plan to revise an ordinance that caps the total area of land available for large-scale solar facilities. (Northern Virginia Daily)
EFFICIENCY: Virginia lawmakers approve legislation that backers say will ensure more energy efficiency savings for Dominion Energy’s low-income, elderly, disabled and military veteran customers. (VPM)
OIL & GAS: Climate advocates and experts urge the Biden administration not to approve three oil terminal projects off the Texas coast, saying their huge emissions potential amounts to a “carbon bomb.” (Guardian)
NUCLEAR: Virginia lawmakers advance a bill to establish a small modular nuclear reactor pilot program. (Bristol Herald-Courier)
BIOFUELS: A North Carolina county commission approves a permit for a brown grease biofuels recycling plant. (Robesonian)
COAL:
• West Virginia lawmakers advance a bill requiring state officials to designate sites for coal-fired power generation, but decline to act on a similar bill for natural gas. (Charleston Gazette-Mail, subscription)
• West Virginia officials identify a coal mine with a history of drainage problems as the culprit for a mudslide last week. (Charleston Gazette-Mail, subscription)
CLIMATE: Richmond, Virginia, adopts a plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, with emphasis on environmental justice and equity. (Bay Journal)
CARBON: A North Carolina county with low population density and high levels of peatland might attract significant levels of carbon credits. (Coastal Review)
STORAGE: Texas researchers investigate salt’s potential use in geothermal energy production and hydrogen and carbon storage. (KVUE)
UTILITIES:
• Virginia lawmakers pass legislation to give state regulators more power to reduce Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power rates. (Virginia Mercury)
• Entergy seeks a waiver from MISO’s capacity accreditation requirements because of concern they’ll decrease the value of fossil fuel plants so much the utility may face a capacity shortfall in Mississippi. (S&P Global)
COMMENTARY:
• Georgia stands out as an example of how clean energy jobs can transform an economy — so long as politicians don’t let partisan ideology interfere, writes the head of a nonpartisan business group. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• Virginia should continue its participation in a regional carbon market to protect its progress in reducing carbon emissions and to retain a significant source of funding for flood reduction projects, writes an environmentalist. (Winchester Star)
More from the Energy News Network: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West