Climate-ravaged Texas neighborhood shows limits of ​“managed retreat”

CLIMATE: As residents increasingly flee a Texas neighborhood ravaged by flooding and intense rainfall, a struggling buyout program illustrates the limits of what can be done in disaster-prone areas. (Texas Tribune)

ALSO:

• Climate change has worsened flooding in a majority-Black Alabama city, where decades-long deterioration of water distribution infrastructure has resulted in a crisis for residents. (Inside Climate News)
• An intrusion of saltwater threatens local drinking water supplies in New Orleans communities as it moves north up the Mississippi River. (NOLA.com, Associated Press)
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ cost estimate for a massive system of gates to protect Houston from storm surge rises 68% due to inflation. (Texas Tribune)

UTILITIES: Florida’s Supreme Court orders state regulators to ​“explain why it reached its conclusions” in approving the largest utility rate increase in state history for Florida Power & Light, even though the court will leave the increase in place for now. (Miami Herald)

SOLAR:

• A Virginia county board approves a 4.5 MW solar facility to be built on 17 acres of pasture. (Roanoke Times)
• A nonprofit launches a program in Georgia to lease solar systems to about 200 homeowners making less than $100,000 a year. (WXIA)
• A ​“solarize” program to lower prices and incentivize installation of rooftop solar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is set to end this week. (KOTV)

OIL & GAS:

• Permian Basin oil drillers test a method of capturing and injecting methane back into a well instead of flaring, venting or piping it to market, but advocates say regulators lack resources to oversee the process. (Capital & Main)
• Oklahoma officials continue cleaning up an 80,000-gallon oil spill after a contractor struck and ruptured a pipeline. (KOCO)
• An Oklahoma tour guide develops a pop-up exhibit to discuss Tulsa’s oil history and how it resulted in tunnels and art deco architecture within the city. (Tulsa People)

COAL:

• The insurance industry continues to provide coverage for U.S. coal mining companies despite their climate commitments, an advocacy group finds. (Grist)
• Texas’ grid operator vows to fight a proposed U.S. EPA rule it warns could reduce coal-fired power in the state by up to 60%. (Houston Chronicle)

RECYCLING: An investigation of a North Carolina chemical recycling plant reveals the company misled the public about risks and has committed ​“significant noncompliance” with hazardous waste management regulations. (The Intercept/​The Assembly/​Carolina Public Press)

GRID: Texas regulators consider new reliability standards to make the state’s independent power grid more dependable while reducing costs. (KEYE)

CARBON CAPTURE: An energy waste storage company announces plans to build a carbon sequestration hub in Texas. (Houston Chronicle)

WORKFORCE: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper views a solar installation and a hybrid-electric transportation class during a visit to see clean energy training programs at a community college. (Greater Fayetteville Business Journal, WRAL)

TRANSITION: A local West Virginia official testifies to Congress about the effectiveness of the U.S. EPA’s brownfields redevelopment program. (Mountain Messenger)

NUCLEAR: Nearly 20 businesses and organizations apply to join a Texas working group seeking construction of advanced nuclear reactors. (KVUE)