EMISSIONS: Texans call for the U.S. EPA to implement a strong methane reduction rule for oil and natural gas operations because state regulators have failed to slow emissions, especially in the high-emitting Permian Basin. (Inside Climate News)
SOLAR:
• Arkansas lawmakers begin negotiations on legislation to implement net-metering for solar customers. (Arkansas Advocate)
• Texas leads the U.S. in building solar capacity in a state previously dominated by natural gas and coal, illustrating a federal agency’s projections that renewables will continue to grow while fossil fuels decline. (S&P Global)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin calls a planned Ford electric vehicle battery factory a “Trojan horse” that would bring Chinese influence into the U.S. auto industry. (Bloomberg)
• A Kentucky factory will begin production of a hybrid Corvette that features an electric battery pack. (WLKY)
• An Arkansas fire department adds two electric vehicles to its fleet. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
WIND: Louisiana officials lobby federal lawmakers to lift the limit on what states are paid in royalties and fees for offshore energy production, which could give the state more funding for coastal restoration and flood protection. (NOLA.com)
GRID:
• Texas lawmakers criticize a plan approved by state regulators last week that would pay power companies to produce extra electricity to be available during times of high demand. (KTVT)
• A North Carolina lawmaker will introduce legislation to require power companies to provide security systems at electrical substations after gunfire knocked out power for more than 45,000 customers last month. (The Pilot)
PIPELINES: Virginia residents are angry after finding out about a company’s plans to build a 7-mile pipeline as part of a project to convert landfill emissions to natural gas. (Potomac Local News)
CARBON CAPTURE:
• A judge’s decision to allow a natural gas company to drill injection wells for a proposed carbon-capture project raises questions of how much oversight local governments have over carbon sequestration sites. (The Advocate)
• West Virginia lawmakers pass a bill to make it easier to allow the sale or lease of some state-owned lands for carbon-capture projects. (Associated Press)
TRANSITION:
• North Carolina experts hail the passage of federal climate legislation but worry electric vehicles and solar panels still remain out of reach for many residents. (Winston-Salem Journal)
• Two Southeast solar developers discuss North Carolina’s emissions law and how Duke Energy’s influence is overshadowing its implementation. (Renewable Energy World)
COMMENTARY:
• West Virginia’s new venture with an iron-air battery startup boosts the clean energy transition despite state officials’ attempts to divest from climate-conscious investment firms, writes a columnist. (Triple Pundit)
• A Virginia city council member calls on state lawmakers to boost access to an expanded shared solar program. (Cardinal News)
• Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s attempts to repeal the state’s clean vehicle standards shows disregard for not just climate but market trends, writes a climate analyst. (Daily Press)
• A new power market plan approved last week by Texas regulators raises costs but fails to address winterization, the real issue behind last year’s near-collapse during a winter storm, writes a conservative environmentalist. (Dallas Morning News)
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