POLITICS: North Carolina’s Democratic governor has used executive actions to set goals and shift policy to reduce the state’s carbon emissions, sidestepping a Republican-majority legislature that was criticized for ignoring climate change’s threat. (Wilmington StarNews)

SOLAR:
• An Israeli solar company says it’s working to meet requirements after seven of its Virginia solar farms are cited for multiple violations. (Farmville Herald)
• A Virginia town planning commission recommends approving a 5 MW solar farm after developers revise their application to reflect residents’ concerns. (South Boston News & Record)
• A North Carolina solar developer terminated a project in 2020 after learning it would cost more $30 million to connect to the power grid, illustrating a problem faced by renewable energy projects across the U.S. (CNBC)
• An Arkansas county board recommends against investing in the installation of solar panels on government buildings over concerns about the 15-year payback period. (El Dorado News-Times)

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OIL & GAS:
• A company drops its plans to build an $11 billion liquified natural gas export facility in Louisiana, and instead will shift to building a blue ammonia plant. (KPLC)
• A Virginia city council considers a decarbonization plan for its natural gas utility. (VPM)
• A federal agency awards a total $27.4 million for six Louisiana communities to fix worn, leaky natural gas lines. (Advocate)

PIPELINES:
• Leaders of the Nansemond Indian Nation express concerns about a company’s plans to replace and double the size of about 49 miles of existing pipeline in Virginia. (VPM)
• Dominion Energy considers selling part of its pipeline network. (Reuters)

COAL:
• A federal court affirms that two of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s coal companies must pay $2.54 million in penalties and cleanup required by Tennessee environmental regulators. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• Kentucky volunteers work to plant nearly 8,000 native tree seedlings at a former strip mine they hope to restore to native forest. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
• U.S. EPA data shows the five highest emitters of toxic chemicals in West Virginia from 2020-21 were all coal-fired power plants. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

CRYPTOCURRENCY: A North Carolina county considers placing a temporary moratorium on crypto-mining operations to consider regulations or ban them altogether. (Asheville Citizen-Times)

EMISSIONS: Advocates hail a newly proposed U.S. EPA rule requiring chemical plants to track hazardous compounds that cross beyond their property lines as a boon to Gulf Coast communities with heavy petrochemical development. (Inside Climate News, Associated Press)

BIOMASS: A Virginia electric cooperative pushes for a change to state law that would allow it to sell renewable energy credits from a 50 MW biomass plant inside the state. (Cardinal News)

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CLIMATE:
• A coastal institute releases annual sea-level report cards, finding Norfolk, Virginia, has had the highest rate of rising seas on the East Coast for five years running. (Virginian-Pilot)
• A Virginia university announces plans to replace its coastal policy center with a new initiative to address sea level rise and stormwater flooding. (Virginia Mercury)

COMMENTARY: Coal plant retirements and utilities’ resulting reliance on natural gas leaves customers increasingly exposed to volatile price swings driven by global demand and increasing electrification, writes the head of a consumer advocacy group. (Waco Tribune-Herald)

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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.