ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Virginia Republicans’ fervor to repeal the state’s landmark vehicle emissions law reaches fever pitch after California announces it will ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles after 2035, which would trigger the same in Virginia. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: Nissan announces its Mississippi factory has produced 2 million vehicles since 2003, and gears up to pivot to electric vehicles. (Automotive World)

FINANCE: Louisiana’s treasurer announces he will divest state funds from BlackRock after reports it urged companies to embrace climate change initiatives, although the decision does not affect the state’s large public pension funds. (NOLA.com, S&P Global)

GRID:
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says crews are restoring power after Hurricane Ian at a breakneck place. (WFLA)
• Texas’ grid manager files notice with a regulatory body to build a new transmission line and substation. (KVUE)
• A study finds climate change contributes to extreme weather events, which increasingly cause power outages and destabilize the grid in Texas and elsewhere. (KVUE) 

PIPELINES:
• As the Mountain Valley Pipeline remains blocked behind legal and regulatory hurdles, opponents raise concerns about erosion, aging pipe that’s been sitting above ground for years and other safety issues. (Inside Climate News)
• An expert predicts the Mountain Valley Pipeline will eventually be completed despite political setbacks, whether by securing needed permits through the regulatory process and in court or with legislation. (Bloomberg Law)
• Tennessee residents organize against a proposed 125-mile Enbridge pipeline. (news release)

UTILITIES:
• Memphis, Tennessee, residents complain about the Tennessee Valley Authority’s history of coal-burning pollution and coal ash disposal near Black neighborhoods as the city council considers buying power from another source. (WPLN)
• Duke Energy proposes South Carolina programs to allow customers to access 100% renewable power, which a growing number of businesses require to expand or locate in the state. (SC Now)

EFFICIENCY: Texas regulators reject a proposal to strengthen energy efficiency standards in the state. (KUT)

OIL & GAS: An expert warns West Virginians will see their heating bills rise this winter with increases in the price of electricity, natural gas, oil and propane. (WV Metro News)

WATER:
• More than two months after Kentucky’s worst flooding in decades, many communities still await federal aid. (CBS News)
• Some Floridians whose homes were inundated with water during Hurricane Ian live in areas where flood insurance isn’t required and therefore don’t have it. (Associated Press)
• The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians implements traditional practices and some of the highest water quality standards in the U.S. to help regional rivers and waterways “breathe again.” (Facing South)

CLIMATE: Erosion of Florida’s coastline after Hurricane Ian is visible from space. (The Hill)

POLITICS: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s newly proposed energy plan seeks to repeal the state’s landmark clean energy law while directing new investments in technologies such as hydrogen and carbon capture. (Virginia Mercury, S&P Global)

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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.