GRID: While downed trees caused by an ice storm cut power to more than 300,000 Texans yesterday, the state’s electric grid has so far performed as expected. (KHOU, ABC News)

ALSO: A former Texas regulator says burying power lines in the state would be prohibitively expensive. (KXAN)

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POLITICS:
• In the latest culture-war volley over electrification, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposes a tax exemption for gas stoves, despite his state having the lowest rate of gas stove adoption in the country. (Florida Politics)
• A Virginia lawmaker says Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s rejection of a Ford battery plant is part of “some kind of China-bashing contest” with other potential presidential contenders. (The Hill)

UTILITIES: Duke Energy is seeking to expand two programs offering renewable energy offsets to commercial and residential customers. (Carolina Journal)

CLIMATE:
• Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards releases an annual progress report on the state’s Climate Action Plan. (news release)
• Virginia is now accepting public comments on Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposal to remove the state from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. (WVEC)

OVERSIGHT: A company planning an oilfield waste dump in East Texas has made more than $50,000 in political contributions to state regulators overseeing the application. (Inside Climate News)

NATURAL GAS: West Virginia’s Senate passes a bill that would encourage more natural gas generation. (WV Public Broadcasting)

COAL: Interfaith groups urge an Alabama coal company to settle an ongoing strike with workers, believed to be the longest in state history. (AL.com)

SOLAR: Developers propose a 50 MW solar farm atop a former titanium mine in Virginia. (Amherst New Era-Progress)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A Korean supplier of auto body parts seeks to build a $76 million facility near a future Hyundai electric vehicle plant in Georgia. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality will hold two virtual events seeking public input on Gov. Roy Cooper’s plan to require more zero-emission trucks. (Coastal Review)

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CARBON CAPTURE: An Arkansas lithium-processing facility announces the launch of a carbon-capture pilot project. (news release)

COMMENTARY:
• A former oil industry consultant explores how solar power is co-existing with a sheep ranch in Texas. (Forbes)
• A climate advocate says outages during December winter storms “disprove the stubborn myth that natural gas and coal are our most reliable sources of power.” (Bloomberg)
• A Texas advocate says that while there are “no plans to rip out gas stoves from anyone’s kitchen,” people should take the health risks from gas appliances seriously. (Austin American-Statesman)
• An environmental group says a shakeup on Louisiana’s Public Service Commission “could bring real change” in a state that has long been a laggard on clean energy. (Environmental Defense Fund)

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Ken Paulman

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.