GRID: A weekend heat wave across Texas causes power demand to spike at 75 GW, a new record for the state grid, which appeared to hold steady without major disruptions. (Texas Tribune, KXAN)

SOLAR:
• Duke Energy completes a nearly 75 MW solar farm in Florida, the first of 10 planned projects in its community solar program. (PV Magazine, Renewable Energy World)
• The U.S. Army announces completion of a 1.1 MW floating solar array in North Carolina. (Offshore Energy)

OIL & GAS: A new report finds 25 impending liquified natural gas projects, nearly half of which are located in Louisiana, could release up to 90 million tons of greenhouse gases annually — more than is generated in a year by all of Florida’s cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles. (The Advocate, subscription)

CLIMATE:
• Researchers say Virginia could lose 42% of its tidal wetlands by 2100 unless the state implements conservation measures or global emissions are reduced to slow sea level rise. (Virginia Mercury)
• North Carolina farmers wrestle with soil depletion amid rising temperatures and longer hot seasons. (North Carolina Health News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Alabama updates its electric vehicle infrastructure plan as it prepares to install more chargers. (WSFA)

COAL: A nonprofit helps replace water infrastructure in southern West Virginia communities where water systems were originally installed by coal companies in the early 1900s and never updated. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

PIPELINES:
• A pipeline company files plans with federal regulators for $212.5 million of upgrades to compressors and its network of natural gas lines in North Carolina. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• A 2020 pipeline leak in Mississippi results in more scrutiny and potentially higher standards for inspections and monitoring of proposed pipelines in other states. (Dakota News Now)

UTILITIES: Appalachian Power seeks proposals for up to 100 MW of solar or wind resources to try to meet its goals under Virginia’s clean energy law. (Cardinal News)

HYDROGEN: Georgia Power completes a demonstration project with Mitsubishi Power to blend hydrogen with natural gas. (Capitol Beat News Service, news release)

STORAGE: A company builds a commercial battery recycling plant in Georgia after successful pilot projects in Massachusetts and Michigan. (Canary Media)

OVERSIGHT: Environmentalists and EPA officials urge West Virginia regulators to update their methods for determining water quality after federal officials repeatedly call the state’s list of “impaired waters” inadequate. (Charleston Gazette-Mail, subscription)

COMMENTARY:
• A new report shows seven of Texas’ coal-fired power plants rank among the 30 worst mercury polluters in the country, spotlighting the need for stronger standards, write two environmental advocates. (Dallas Morning News)
• Texas should pass legislation or regulations to require companies to negotiate reasonable terms for interconnection and shared use of pipelines, writes a former Congress member. (Dallas Morning News)
• An editorial board calls on South Carolina lawmakers to direct state officials to study and identify next steps to develop a wind energy supply chain cluster. (Post and Courier)

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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.