BUILDINGS: North Carolina officials delay overhauling building codes that would’ve improved energy efficiency in new construction amid developers’ sustained opposition to the proposed rules. (Energy News Network)
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: A new highway expansion built for an Alabama industrial park for electric vehicle, solar and transformer companies leads to a flooding and housing crisis in a rural Black community. (Capital B)
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SOLAR:
• A Chinese solar company announces an expansion of its Florida solar panel factory even after city officials withdrew $2.3 million in planned property tax rebates because federal officials executed a search warrant there. (Florida Times-Union)
• The Seminole Tribe of Florida installs solar and battery storage on four public buildings on the Big Cypress reservation. (CleanTechnica)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a law that prohibits most direct-to-consumer vehicle sales but appears to include an exception specifically for Tesla. (Florida Politics)
• The electric vehicle industry rapidly takes shape in Georgia as Hyundai and a growing number of suppliers announce and build factories. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, subscription)
• Arkansas’ largest mass transit agency announces the rollout of five electric buses. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
UTILITIES: An analysis of the 15 largest U.S. power companies finds only Duke Energy has a “detailed plan” to reach net-zero emissions. (S&P Global)
WIND: North Carolina joins a coalition of East Coast states to compensate the fishing industry’s economic losses from offshore wind. (Coastal Review)
GRID: Texas’ grid manager projects power demand will reach a record-breaking 82,000 MW by Friday, but assures residents the power grid should hold even if demand soars above 88,000 MW. (Houston Chronicle)
COAL:
• West Virginia officials keep scrambling to save a 1,300 MW coal-fired power plant set to close even though coal continues to decline as a regional electricity generator. (IEEFA, West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
• A coal company warns 258 Kentucky employees of possible layoffs due to money troubles, though another mining company appears likely to buy the failing company out. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
• Parcels spanning more than 2,200 acres near the Kentucky-Virginia border that belong to a coal company owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s family will be auctioned Friday because of unpaid taxes. (Cardinal News)
PIPELINES: An expert expects opponents of the Mountain Valley Pipeline will challenge the project’s congressional approval based on the U.S. Constitution’s “separation of powers” clause, arguing it prohibits Congress from overruling federal courts. (Radio IQ)
POLITICS: North Carolina lawmakers pass a bill that blocks localities from enacting bans on natural gas or other energy based on fuel type, and also lays out a process for state regulators to draft rules for decommissioning solar farms. (WRAL)
COMMENTARY:
• Florida faces a policy decision whether to pursue federally supported clean energy manufacturing deals or pay more dealing with the costly effects of climate change, writes a researcher at a climate policy think tank. (Miami Herald)
• Pumped-storage hydropower can be clunky and expensive, but generates so much on-demand power it should be reconsidered as fossil fuel plants close, writes an editor. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
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