Coal advocates push to block transition from fossil fuels

COAL: Coal advocates in Kentucky and elsewhere push to make it harder for utilities to transition from fossil fuels, even though it costs customers more and contributes to climate change. (Sierra)

ALSO: Experts warn funding to support coal-reliant and other communities during the clean energy transition will likely fall short, largely because it’s aimed at businesses with growth plans and not workers who lose their jobs. (AFP News)

CLIMATE: Scientists trying to protect Louisiana’s coastline against rising seas call for elected officials to recognize and act against climate change’s causes, and not just its effects. (NOLA.com)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A magnet manufacturer that makes electric vehicle components announces it will build a South Carolina factory, becoming the latest EV company to locate there after lawmakers set aside more than $1 billion in incentives. (The State)
• A study finds that concern about finding charging stations leads the list of reasons why Texans remain hesitant to purchase electric vehicles. (Houston Chronicle)
• The first four electric school buses made by a West Virginia manufacturer are sent to school districts in the state. (West Virginia Watch)

WIND: Louisiana announces its first-ever approval of two wind energy projects off the Gulf Coast, triggering a surge of hope in an industry that’s seen recent setbacks. (Louisiana Illuminator, CleanTechnica)

GRID:

• Experts warn two-thirds of the U.S. and Canada could face power shortages this winter due to grid inadequacies, with Texas and Southwestern states at especially high risk. (NPR)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority has spent $8 million on insulation and heated cables to boost grid reliability since rolling blackouts during last year’s Christmas Eve cold snap. (Knoxville News Sentinel)
• A Duke Energy official says North Carolina’s economic boom is driving power demand to its highest rate in 30 years. (Business North Carolina)
• After a 27-hour public hearing, a Virginia county board narrowly votes to approve a project to bring in up to 37 data centers despite concerns about their environmental effects and power needs. (Associated Press)

OIL & GAS:

• The U.S. Coast Guard still hasn’t found the source of an estimated 1.1 million gallon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and meanwhile detects another, apparently unrelated spill 19 miles away. (NOLA.com)
• New data shows the Permian Basin leads Texas in oil production. (KMID/KPEJ)

SOLAR:

• The federal climate package includes $7 billion for solar projects in disadvantaged neighborhoods, including a Houston community where a solar-powered home became a gathering point during an outage last summer. (Stateline)
• A renewables fund purchases a ready-to-build 100 MW solar farm in Florida. (PV Tech)

CARBON CAPTURE:

• A new study finds the U.S. EPA doesn’t have sufficient rules to monitor for leaks from carbon capture projects, and instead is relying on operators to determine those methods. (DeSmog)
• Florida researchers study plants’ outer shell for pollen in hopes of replicating its properties to store carbon. (WUSF)

COMMENTARY: Instead of backing the Tennessee Valley Authority’s plans to build new gas plants as a ​“bridge” to clean energy, federal officials should push the utility to invest in clean power, writes an environmental lawyer. (Tennessee Lookout)