COAL: The Tennessee Valley Authority requests public input on whether to convert a 2,500 MW coal plant to natural gas or solar and storage. (WPLN)

ALSO:
• Virginia sees a 15.5% increase in coal production from last year, driven by demand for steel-making coal and the war in Ukraine. (Virginia Mercury)
• A coal company files a plan to install biochemical reactor systems to reduce toxic runoff at two West Virginia mines after a judge finds it in contempt for not filing such a plan by mid-April. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• West Virginia regulators propose fining a coal company $125,000 for failing to file water pollution reports for the last two years. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Electric vehicle maker Canoo’s plans to build its headquarters and a research-and-development facility in Arkansas are threatened by its financial troubles. (KNWA)
• Only 1% of buses at Virginia transit agencies run on electric power, so while federal funding and a state study will double that number this year, questions still loom about how quickly a transition can take place. (Virginia Mercury)

RENEWABLES: Oil company Shell launches a new company branch to focus on offering clean energy for the residential electricity market. (Houston Chronicle)

WIND: An expert says Texas’ status as America’s wind energy leader was made possible by a $7 billion investment in transmission lines near renewable energy zones. (KHOU)

SOLAR:
• Mississippi officials announce completion of a 100 MW solar farm. (news release)
• After years of effort, Florida students succeed in convincing their high school to install solar panels. (WLRN)

UTILITIES: Lawyers for Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities dismiss criticisms of their long-term plans that claim the utilities are neglecting climate change and the need to shift to renewables. (WKYU)

OIL & GAS: A North Carolina gas company launches a program allowing customers to purchase green “blocks” that represent carbon offsets and renewable natural gas. (news release)

EMISSIONS: The proposed settlement of lawsuits against the EPA by two environmental groups could result in emission reductions in the industrial corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge known as “Cancer Alley.” (NOLA.com)

CLIMATE: Experts warn a heat wave hitting Texas this week and above-average temperatures across the U.S. this summer are part of a pattern of extreme weather exacerbated by climate change. (Axios)

POLITICS:
• A Texas Congress member leads a GOP backlash against environmental, social and governance initiatives by corporations and financial firms. (E&E News)
• New laws in Tennessee are set to take effect, including a study of utility-scale solar development, a requirement to remove solar farms after decommissioning, a ban on local prohibition of natural gas infrastructure, and a request the Tennessee Valley Authority continue to operate its coal-fired plants. (Rogersville Review)

COMMENTARY: A Tennessee activist calls on state residents to push the Tennessee Valley Authority to replace a coal plant slated for closure with solar power and storage instead of a gas-fired plant and 32-mile pipeline. (Appalachian Voices)

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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.