UTILITIES: Duke Energy and stakeholder groups spar over the utility’s long-term energy plans in North Carolina, which critics say intentionally downplay solar and storage to protect the company’s revenue. (Canary Media)
ALSO:
• Dominion Energy in Virginia and Florida Power and Light cite rising natural gas prices as the reason behind new rate hikes. (Virginia Mercury, Pensacola News Journal)
• As natural gas prices drive up utility bills, social service providers in Florida say more people are having problems paying their electricity bills. (WUSF)
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Thanks to input from so many of you, we’ve created Energy News Weekly, an email newsletter breaking down the biggest national clean energy stories of the week. Starting Sept. 21, it will arrive in your inbox every Wednesday morning.
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COAL:
• Since Puerto Rico banned coal ash storage, the toxic waste from its coal plant has been quietly shipped through Florida to Georgia. (Energy News Network)
• Conservation groups push back on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s plans to replace its largest coal-fired power plant with a natural gas generator that would also require a new 32-mile pipeline. (Tennessee Lookout)
PIPELINES:
• Virginia U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine sponsor legislation that would make it easier for the public to offer input on federal pipeline decisions and clarify rules for when eminent domain may be used. (Daily Energy Insider)
• A top LNG exporter announces plans to build a natural gas pipeline in Texas to connect with its liquefaction facility in Corpus Christi. (Reuters)
SOLAR:
• The rock climber made famous by the film “Free Solo” is using his foundation to fund solar projects on minority-owned restaurants in New Orleans so that they can be used as community hubs during hurricane recovery. (Fast Company)
• An executive with Orlando’s municipal utility explains how it is looking to solar power as a way to stabilize electricity rates amid rising gas prices. (WMFE)
• A recent report ranked North Carolina as the most “solar-friendly” state in the Southeast based on per capita solar energy capacity. (Winston-Salem Journal)
• A Texas solar developer seeks tax breaks for a large project southeast of Austin while facing backlash from local residents over land impacts. (KXAN)
• The nonprofit Solar United Neighbors is seeking residents in Pinellas County, Florida, who are interested in joining a solar group buying co-op. (Patch)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• An electric vehicle charger manufacturer announces an expansion of its operations in Columbia, South Carolina, that will add over 100 jobs. (WIST)
• An executive at Toyota’s North America headquarters in Plano, Texas, explains how the Inflation Reduction Act will change the auto industry. (WFAA)
• Texas is set to receive $408 million for a five-year plan to install public charging stations no more than 50 miles apart on Texas interstates. (KXXV)
HYDROGEN: Kentucky joins a partnership with six Midwest states to accelerate the development of hydrogen as a clean transportation fuel. (Associated Press)
CLIMATE: Virginia Tech receives an $80 million USDA grant for a pilot program that will pay farmers to implement climate-friendly practices. (Cardinal News)
POLITICS: Texas’ beleaguered power grid has loomed over the state’s gubernatorial race between incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke. (E&E News)
COMMENTARY:
• An editor suggests five questions that Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin should consider while crafting the state’s energy plan. (Cardinal News)
• Opening Louisiana’s electricity market to competitive suppliers would mean higher bills for customers, writes a New Orleans advocate whose organization is partially funded by monopoly utility Entergy. (NOLA.com)
• The authors of a new book on climate solutions write that individuals can have an impact beyond their own behavior by seeking “hidden” levers of power in state and local government. (Energy News Network)
Editor’s note: The publisher of an article on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s slow transition to clean energy included in yesterday’s newsletter changed the URL, the article can be found here now.
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