U.S. Energy News is one of five regional services published by the Energy News Network. Today’s edition was compiled by Kathryn Krawczyk.
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OIL & GAS:
• The Biden administration rolls out a new fuel economy rule that will require 8% efficiency increases in 2024 and 2025 model year vehicles, followed by 10% in 2026. (E&E News)
• Two Democratic U.S. senators urge the Biden administration to develop a new oil and gas leasing plan for the Gulf of Mexico. (E&E News)
SOLAR:
• More than 800 utility-scale, commercial rooftop, community solar and solar storage projects in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania are waiting in queue with transmission organization PJM Interconnection. (Chesapeake Bay Journal)
• North Carolina’s Supreme Court will soon rule whether homeowner associations can veto residents’ solar installations in the name of aesthetics. (Energy News Network)
• A company announces it will develop a 250 MW solar farm on 3,000 acres of a former West Virginia coal mine, which organizers say will be the largest solar project in the state. (WV News, Charleston Gazette-Mail)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Tesla says it delivered 310,000 cars in the first three months of 2022, a steep increase from the same period a year earlier. (New York Times)
• Xcel Energy struggles to enroll electric vehicle drivers in programs that aim to ensure charging is done during off-peak hours to reduce stress on the electric grid. (E&E News)
COAL: Some of the Alabama miners striking against a coal company are making ends meet by working at an Amazon warehouse — where workers are also trying to unionize. (New York Times)
UTILITIES:
• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s former campaign treasurer warned senior aides about Sam Randazzo’s “opaque and undisclosed” financial ties to FirstEnergy prior to DeWine appointing him to the Public Utilities Commission. (Ohio Capital Journal)
• Arizona’s Salt River Project crews work to extend power infrastructure to 300 homes on the Navajo Nation, where about 14,000 households lack electricity. (KTAR)
• A Rhode Island judge approves the state attorney general’s request to pause PPL Corp.’s purchase of Narragansett Electric, saying the decision didn’t evaluate environmental and ratepayer impacts. (Providence Business News)
GRID:
• Connecticut’s utility commission approves a program to quickly evaluate and deploy pilot projects and technology with the intent of helping them “fail fast” and transform into new, scalable innovations. (Utility Dive)
• Las Vegas uses a “digital twin” — a virtual replica of the city — to track electricity distribution and test plans to increase energy efficiency. (Nation)
• California regulators consider three Pacific Gas & Electric pilot projects that would use electric vehicles to provide power backup for homes and microgrids. (Utility Dive)
COMMENTARY: The Biden administration needs to speed up its mining permit process to ensure its push for increased critical minerals is effective, a columnist writes. (Forbes)
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