Digging in on clean heat

This roundup of U.S. energy news headlines is part of our Canary Media Daily newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

DATA CENTERS

• More than 230 environmental groups call for a national moratorium on new data centers in the U.S., saying they’re a threat to ​“Americans’ economic, environmental, climate, and water security.” (The Guardian)

• A new Google-sponsored analysis argues that flexible interconnection tariffs could allow data centers to connect to the grid more quickly without shifting costs to utility customers at large. (Latitude Media)

• The proposed Project Jupiter data center complex in southeastern New Mexico seeks state approval to generate as much electricity as the state’s largest utility and emit more greenhouse gases than Albuquerque and Las Cruces combined. (Source NM)

CLEAN ENERGY

• A coalition of 143 solar companies and industry representatives push Congress to override a Trump administration policy they say threatens hundreds of solar projects that touch land managed by the Interior Department. (E&E News)

• Outgoing New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s ambitious energy master plan calls for 100% clean power use by 2035, but faces headwinds from growing data-center demand and federal barriers to offshore wind development. (Inside Climate News)

• Leasing property for renewable energy projects has allowed Indiana farmers to diversify and grow their income, which has become increasingly important since the pandemic as costs rise. (Pharos Tribune)

BATTERIES

• Since a groundbreaking lithium-ion battery system was built in the Chilean desert in 2009, similar energy-storage systems have been installed around the world. (New York Times)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Florida’s U.S. senators and all 28 of its U.S. House members sign a letter urging the Trump administration not to allow oil drilling off the state’s coast, saying it would disrupt tourism and military operations. (WUSF, WTVJ)

• Louisiana residents and environmental groups are upset after state officials green-light construction of a liquified-natural-gas export facility even after a judge suspended its permit. (Louisiana Illuminator)

• A Sierra Club study finds keeping the Ray D. Nixon coal plant in Colorado Springs operating beyond its scheduled 2029 closure would undermine air quality and cost consumers more than replacement generation. (Colorado Sun)

UTILITIES

• Maryland-based energy giant Constellation agrees to sell off four of its generation assets in mid-Atlantic states in order to receive federal approval for its planned acquisition of power company Calpine. (Reuters)

• A new report calls on energy regulators to restrict utilities from billing customers before projects are completed, pointing to Georgia Power’s way-over-budget expansion of nuclear Plant Vogtle as an example of how projects can run amok. (Utility Dive)

NUCLEAR

• NextEra Energy plans to redesign an Iowa nuclear plant to make it more resilient to extreme weather, after the facility closed in 2020 following damage from a major storm. (Inside Climate News)

PERMITTING

• House Republicans prepare to launch two weeks of energy-permitting discussions with the introduction of new legislation. (E&E News)

COURTS

• The Supreme Court will consider a case this week that has implications for the independence of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other regulatory bodies. (E&E News)