Critics: GOP lawmakers left N.C. vulnerable to Helene

POLITICS: Critics say Republicans who’ve controlled North Carolina’s legislature for 15 years have systematically weakened building rules and environmental protections in ways that likely worsened the effects of Hurricane Helene last week. (New York Times, The Lever)

ALSO:

• Hurricane Helene’s widespread devastation across the Southeast pushes climate change into a prominent position in the presidential campaign’s final weeks. (Associated Press)
• Two Texas oil billionaires have built an extensive network of think tanks, political action committees and other organizations that have relentlessly pushed the state legislature to the hard right. (New York Times Magazine)

SOLAR:

• A federal judge denies a motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Alabama regulators’ approval of Alabama Power’s new fees on customers with solar panels, allowing the case to move forward. (AL.com)
• Little Rock, Arkansas, reaches an interconnection agreement with Entergy for a city solar array ahead of a shift in the state’s net metering policy, ensuring the project will receive a higher rate for excess electricity it produces. (Arkansas Times)

GRID:

• The U.S. Energy Department announces $150 billion for four grid projects, including one that will connect Texas’ standalone grid with the rest of the country. (The Hill)
• Leaders of North Carolina electric cooperatives warn it could be weeks before power is restored to rural, more rugged parts of the state that were hit by Hurricane Helene. (Utility Dive)
• Virginia regulators announce a conference on the challenges of meeting the power needs of new ​“large-use, hyperscale customers.” (news release)

CARBON CAPTURE: U.S. EPA officials hold public hearings in Texas on a Houston oil and gas company’s plans to store a projected 722,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide in three underground injection wells. (Texas Tribune)

HYDROPOWER: The Tennessee Valley Authority announces repairs on a Tennessee dam after it nearly failed during flooding from Hurricane Helene. (Citizen Tribune)

CLIMATE:

• Hurricane Helene’s damage in western North Carolina — previously touted as a climate refuge — shows that climate change affects people across the U.S., and especially in a region that’s historically prone to disastrous flooding. (Bloomberg, Associated Press)
• The widespread lack of flood insurance among households in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina could severely affect the region’s ability to rebuild after Hurricane Helene. (Politico)
• A new study finds hurricanes can elevate death rates for up to 15 years after they strike. (Washington Post)

UTILITIES: A Virginia natural gas utility announces its next CEO, who will take over when the current executive retires next spring. (Virginia Business)

COMMENTARY:

• Elected officials and candidates’ response to Hurricane Helene shows how severe storms and government disaster relief are becoming increasingly politicized, writes an editor. (Cardinal News)
• Rural Virginians with lengthier commutes stand to benefit from electric vehicles, especially with home charging, writes a clean energy advocate. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• Recent reporting has revealed how the fossil fuel industry has influenced policymakers in states like West Virginia, influencing legislation that affects energy production but also sharpening penalties for climate protestors, writes a policy analyst. (West Virginia Watch)