Southeast Energy News — a daily newsletter
Conservative Georgia regulator worries about Trump’s impact on EVs
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Republican Georgia regulator Tim Echols says he is concerned about the possibility of a second Trump presidency disrupting the state’s progress on electric vehicles, and would lobby to continue federal incentives and advance vehicle-to-grid technology. (Bloomberg)
ALSO: U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan announces the Durham, North Carolina school district will purchase 38 new electric buses with help from a $15 million federal grant. (NC Newsline)
SOLAR: A disaster relief agency envisions a “lending library” of portable solar and battery systems deployed throughout the Southeast to aid in power outages. (Energy News Network)
WIND: Dominion Energy announces the completion of its sale of a $2.6 billion stake in the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, which the utility says is on track to be completed in 2026. (Virginia Business)
GRID:
- A new Texas plant will repurpose electric vehicle batteries for use as energy storage, with support from a $20 million Department of Energy grant. (KXAN)
- Back-to-back hurricanes have disrupted the schedule to bury utility lines on Longboat Key, an island off the coast of Sarasota, Florida. (Observer)
NATURAL GAS:
- Six Georgia cities will split $13 million in federal grants to upgrade natural gas pipelines. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- JPMorgan Chase is in discussion with developers of at least three LNG export projects along the Gulf Coast, after a nearly ten-year absence from the sector. (Bloomberg)
UTILITIES: Arkansas regulators say the state’s attorney general missed a deadline to challenge a settlement that would raise gas rates by more than 23% for some customers. (Arkansas Times)
EFFICIENCY: A utility-backed efficiency program has supported $8.6 million in energy upgrades for more than 900 households in Chattanooga, Tennessee since its launch in 2014. (Times Free Press)
POLITICS: While a recent survey found most Floridians would support candidates who back efforts to reduce climate change, politicians who reject climate science are leading in the polls. (USA Today Network)
COMMENTARY: An editorial board discusses the barriers to reviving nuclear power but downplays cost overruns at Georgia’s Vogtle plant as unique circumstances. (Washington Post)
