GRID: Texas utility regulators’ proposal to prevent future widespread power outages is drawing skepticism from state lawmakers and grid experts, who question whether the plan is too complex and expensive. (Texas Tribune)

COAL:
• Soaring electricity prices prompt a standoff over West Virginia’s devotion to coal power, with critics blaming it for rising rates while state regulators and coal supporters saying climate policies are actually to blame. (Inside Climate News)
• In a federal lawsuit, retired coal miners and their union say companies owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice are endangering their health by regularly allowing lapses in their prescription drug coverage. (Gazette-Mail, subscription)  

OFFSHORE WIND: North Carolina utility regulators will help decide the trajectory for offshore wind in the state when they soon approve a plan for Duke Energy to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050. (Spectrum News) 

OIL & GAS:
• A federal report warns that the offshore oil and gas industry faces a significant and growing risk of potentially catastrophic cyberattacks. (Utility Dive)
• The number of earthquakes in Texas’ Permian Basin has spiked in recent years as scientific studies link seismic activity to oil and gas activity. (Texas Tribune)

SOLAR:
• Tampa, Florida, is testing whether solar panels embedded in sidewalks could power traffic signals during hurricanes and other outages. (Tampa Bay Times)
• A Nashville-based solar company expects to complete construction of an 80-acre project in eastern Tennessee before the end of the year. (Greenville Sun)
• A student team at the University of North Texas aims to build a solar-powered car to compete in a five-day collegiate race next summer. (North Texas Daily)

OVERSIGHT:
• A Virginia utility regulator resigns, creating a second vacancy on the three-member board that oversees utility planning and energy projects. (Times-Dispatch)
• A Georgia consumer energy advocate sues a state utility regulator, arguing he can’t block her on social media accounts that he uses for government business. (The Current)

BIOMASS: North Carolina’s environmental justice board heard concerns about the state’s growing wood pellet industry last week from scientists, activists and residents who live near wood pellet plants. (Blue Ridge Public Radio)

EFFICIENCY: Charleston, South Carolina, will consider a no-cost contract with Dominion Energy this week to convert nearly 7,000 street lights to LED. (WCSC)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tesla-competitor Lucid opens its first Texas showroom in a Plano shopping center, though state law bars it from selling direct to consumers. (Dallas Morning News, subscription)

CLIMATE: It’s almost Thanksgiving and mosquitos are still biting in Tampa Bay, Florida, thanks to climate change, which has lengthened their season. (Axios)

COMMENTARY: Texas regulators’ decision last week to approve a new natural gas plant and remove a judge’s recommended cost cap “shows that conservative Texas officials don’t actually care about lowering prices,” a Sierra Club official says. (Beaumont Enterprise)

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Dan has two decades' experience working in print, digital and broadcast media. Prior to joining the Energy News Network as managing editor in December 2017, he oversaw watchdog reporting at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, part of the USA Today Network, and before that spent several years as a freelance journalist covering energy, business and technology. Dan is a former Midwest Energy News journalism fellow and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communications from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.