OVERSIGHT: Virginia regulators plan to vote today whether to advance Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s plan to withdraw from a multistate carbon market that requires large carbon emitters to purchase allowances that fund flood reduction programs. (Associated Press)
SOLAR:
• North Carolina lawmakers consider legislation to add new rules for the decommissioning of solar projects, including a provision requiring operators to financially ensure they can carry out decommissioning. (WRAL)
• A judge orders a 100 MW Georgia solar farm to halt erosion and sediment flows after a jury awarded $135 million to neighboring landowners whose lake was ruined by runoff. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• Commercial operations begin at a 415 MW solar farm in Texas. (Solar Industry)
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PIPELINES: Lawyers for the Mountain Valley Pipeline urge a court to throw out two pending cases challenging its permits after Congress approves a provision to expedite construction. (Roanoke Times)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• An electric vehicle parts company that produces electrolytes for batteries announces it will build a factory in Tennessee. (WKRN)
• An electric vehicle battery maker prepares to break ground on a South Carolina plant. (WPDE)
• Toyota plans to retrain nearly 9,000 employees to make electric SUVs at its Kentucky plant. (Kentucky Lantern)
OIL & GAS:
• Oklahoma officials investigate a spill of 1,000 barrels of oil. (KWTV)
• ExxonMobil donates $2 million to fund carbon capture research, scholarships and workforce development at Louisiana State University’s energy innovation institute. (NOLA.com)
• An energy company purchases two Texas natural gas-fired power plants totaling 855 MW. (Power Technology)
• A Florida town moves to complete a franchise agreement and easements to connect residents and businesses to natural gas service. (Vero News)
GRID: An Alabama Congress member expresses concern about the Tennessee Valley Authority’s grid resiliency after widespread blackouts in December. (WHNT)
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: A new report finds broad health, economic and social justice disparities between communities in different parts of the Chesapeake Bay’s watershed. (Associated Press)
UTILITIES: A Florida city council that opposed a state bill to restrict municipal utility revenues from being used for governmental functions frets after it only narrowly fails to pass. (The Ledger)
CLIMATE:
• An expert says Georgia’s peach crop is down by 90% due to a warm winter and then a cold snap in March. (WAGA)
• Asheville, North Carolina, is named as a top national destination for climate migrants fleeing coastal areas. (Asheville Citizen-Times)
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers launches a five-year study of how to manage the Mississippi River, including an emphasis on hurricane damage and flood reduction as the climate changes. (WWNO)
• Arkansas farmers prepare for summer after last year’s drought affected cattle, crops and the price of supplies. (KTHV)
POLITICS:
• Tennessee’s attorney general probes 10 financial asset managers to determine their climate policies. (Reuters)
• A fiscally conservative political action committee takes aim at West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s campaign for the U.S. Senate by spotlighting a court decision finding his companies liable for six years of unpaid health care premiums owed to retired coal miners. (Weirton Daily Times)
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