Despite bipartisan support, clean energy faces obstacles in North Carolina

POLITICS: Polling consistently shows strong bipartisan support for clean energy policies in purple North Carolina, but political misinformation, special interest groups and entrenched individual lawmakers block the state legislature from doing more. (Energy News Network)

NUCLEAR:

• Georgia Power again delays the in-service date for one of two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle after a malfunction in its cooling system. (Capitol Beat News Service)
• Tennessee Valley Authority CEO Jeff Lyash discusses why the federal utility is diving back into nuclear power with small modular reactors. (Nashville Business Journal, subscription)

OIL & GAS:

• Federal regulators appear likely to continue their consideration of permits for liquified natural gas facilities even after the Biden administration announced a pause on approvals while it studies their environmental impacts. (E&E News)
• Louisianans who live near existing and proposed liquified natural gas export facilities have mixed feelings about the Biden administration’s pause on permit approvals. (Context)
• Oklahoma is struck by a 5.1 magnitude earthquake after seeing at least six earthquakes last month, with many of them likely linked to the underground injection of wastewater from oil and natural gas extraction. (Washington Post)
• Texas landowners go to court to fight construction of a pipeline. (KTBC)

WIND: Virginia lawmakers consider new measures that could reduce Dominion Energy’s grip on energy production in the state, including a bill to require the state to issue bids for offshore wind from other companies. (Inside Climate News)

SOLAR: West Virginia regulators consider approving a 100 MW solar farm. (WV Metro News)

UTILITIES:

• Two former executives of Jacksonville, Florida’s municipal utility will go to trial later this month on accusations of conspiracy and wire fraud related to a kickback scheme to privatize the utility. (Jacksonville Daily Record)
• A flood of complaints about high Alabama Power bills results in a pledge from the utility not to disconnect customers for non-payment until mid-March. (WBMA, AL.com)

GRID: Texas reliability advocates argue the state should develop battery storage and other new approaches to grid recovery after 82% of the state grid’s blackstart units failed during the 2021 winter storm. (Utility Dive)

COAL ASH: A sizable coal ash spill into the Dan River on the North Carolina/​Virginia border 10 years ago helped prompt state and federal coal ash policies. (WUNC)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Georgia city is honored by an industry group for its rapid adoption of electric vehicles. (WSB)

ACTIVISM: Government officials and the fossil fuel industry are leveraging harsher penalties against protestors such as those fighting the Mountain Valley Pipeline and a police training center in an Atlanta forest. (Salon)

FINANCE: Bank of America backtracks on its commitment not to finance new coal mines, coal-fired power plants or Arctic drilling projects after receiving pressure from states threatening to withdraw their business. (New York Times)

COMMENTARY:

• Georgia and Colorado regulators discuss the challenges to vehicle electrification presented by the current lack of charging infrastructure and future load growth. (Utility Dive)
• Virginia lawmakers should open up the state’s utility-focused energy market to allow consumers more choice in renewable energy, write two analysts at a free market think tank. (Cardinal News)