Analysis: Utilities spend big on regulatory elections

OVERSIGHT: An analysis finds utilities and fossil fuel companies provided sizable campaign contributions to candidates in Alabama, Louisiana, and other states that elect energy regulators, raising questions about their decisions on power generation, grid hardening and other issues. (Floodlight)

SOLAR:

• New Orleans begins the demolition of more than 60 homes in a troubled affordable housing development to make way for a 6.3 MW solar farm. (Verite News, Louisiana Illuminator)
• A company announces construction of an 815 MW solar project in Texas. (Power Technology)
• A Florida city council considers a 25-year contract to purchase power from a 74.8 MW solar farm that’s nearing completion. (Lakeland Ledger)
• A Chinese company with a history of alleged tariff violations is planning a solar panel factory in Texas, raising a dilemma for the Biden administration. (E&E News)

OIL & GAS: A state audit finds that nearly 1,700 new orphaned oil and gas wells were reported in Louisiana between 2020 and 2023, outpacing the state’s efforts to plug 976 orphaned wells during that time. (Louisiana Illuminator)

NUCLEAR: Federal officials announce plans to delay the start of operations of a $10.3 billion facility to process uranium until the 2030s, after long maintaining the project would cost no more than $6.5 billion and be complete by 2025. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

COAL: An investigation finds federal regulators have largely ceded oversight of coal mining to Alabama officials, even after an explosion at a house near a coal mine killed a resident. (Inside Climate News)

STORAGE: A sodium-ion battery manufacturer’s plans to open a North Carolina factory serve as an early indicator of the technology’s growth, though experts say lithium-ion batteries will likely maintain their market dominance for some time. (Washington Post)

CARBON CAPTURE: Residents in a historically Black Louisiana community organize against a proposed ammonia plant that includes a carbon capture and storage component. (Louisiana Illuminator)

HYDROPOWER: Tennessee Valley Authority officials say Hurricane Helene irreparably damaged a power station at a Tennessee dam, but most of the storm’s damage to the dam was merely ​“superficial.” (WCYB)

CLIMATE:

• North Carolina officials announce repairs and new construction at two historic coastal sites that both are exposed to the effects of climate change. (Wilmington StarNews)
• A​prison reform advocacy group sues Florida, alleging the lack of air conditioning on hot days contributed to the death of at least four prisoners at a facility near the Everglades. (Associated Press)

POLITICS:

• A Texas oil billionaire has spent at least $11 million this election cycle to support Republicans and push them to oppose what a critic describes as ​“anything that falls into what he sees as environmentally woke.” (E&E News)
• Emails reveal two dozen Republican attorneys general, often led by Louisiana and Texas, have been coordinating during the Biden administration to seek out sympathetic judges and pressure federal agencies as they fight emissions standards, efficiency rules, and other clean energy-boosting regulations. (E&E News)
• Florida’s incumbent Republican U.S. senator has developed a reputation for blocking climate-related legislation, while his Democratic challenger has partly staked her campaign on the issue. (Miami Herald)