Duke lets customers see their power use

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Southeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

UTILITIES

• North Carolina regulators approve Duke Energy’s long-awaited program to let customers access detailed usage data, though critics say there are still plenty of unanswered questions that ultimately will determine its effectiveness. (Canary Media)

• Tennessee Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann says he wants Trump’s next nominee to the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority to come from Tennessee and help pivot toward nuclear energy. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

• Georgia Power asks state regulators to certify 9,900 MW of new power projects from a variety of sources, including natural gas, solar, and batteries. (Capitol Beat News Service)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities proposes building two 645 MW gas-fired power plants, scrapping a previously announced battery project, and delaying the retirement of four coal-fired units from 2027 until 2031. (Louisville Public Media, Kentucky Lantern)

• An investigation finds Cheniere Energy, the largest U.S. exporter of liquified natural gas, is seeking ​“alternative fuel” tax credits that could pay out more than $140 million. (Inside Climate News)

• A new report finds the overall number of jobs in 30 counties in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio has declined even as fracking has increased their GDP. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

• Texas oil majors expect to see their lowest earnings in four years due to increased global production, disruption of shipping routes, and the Trump administration’s fluctuating energy and tariff policies. (Houston Chronicle)

SOLAR

• Edelen Renewables proposes building a solar farm on 400 acres of a decommissioned Kentucky landfill. (WLEX)

GRID

• The Tennessee Valley Authority announces it reached a new summer demand peak of 31,888 MW during high temperatures on July 30. (WBIR)

• Jacksonville, Florida’s municipal utility sees new record summer peak loads two days in a row as temperatures exceed 100 degrees. (Jacksonville Daily Record)

EMISSIONS

• The Trump administration moves to defund the Chemical Safety Board, which environmental and community advocates worry will leave a regulatory gap in the oversight of hundreds of petrochemical plants along the Gulf Coast. (Capital and Main)

POLITICS

• West Virginia U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito says the U.S. EPA’s move to rescind an ​“endangerment finding” that greenhouse gases pose a health threat will likely be challenged and eventually decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. (WV News)

• A long-time senior staffer for U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy joins the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association as its executive director of public and government affairs. (Shreveport Times)

CLIMATE

• Experts say climate change has drastically increased the likelihood Florida will experience a heat wave. (WUSF)

• Austin, Texas, city leaders call on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to restore $50 million to implement flood protection upgrades at a water treatment plant and power plant. (Austin American-Statesman)

• Newport News, Virginia, will use a $930,000 state grant for an initiative to educate and help homeowners pay for flood reduction improvements. (WHRO)

• Part of Hurricane Katrina’s legacy 20 years later is the amplification of ​“deaths of despair” that disproportionately affect Black communities in Louisiana that were disrupted by the storm. (Capital B)

COMMENTARY

• Texas solar and battery facilities set a new record for generation this week, ensuring the state’s standalone grid holds up against the summer heat and proving renewables’ value despite Republican lawmakers’ efforts to discourage them, writes a columnist. (Houston Chronicle)

• The Trump administration’s consideration of opening up Florida’s coastline to oil and gas drilling threatens the state’s status as a major tourism destination and a site for military training and testing activities, write a military veteran and the CEO of a chamber of commerce. (Tampa Bay Times)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• Chart: The clean-energy manufacturing boom is going bust — Dan McCarthy

• We know how to decarbonize energy. The food sector should take notes. — Michael Grunwald

• HB 6 regulatory cases weigh what FirstEnergy’s Ohio utilities should pay — Kathiann M. Kowalski

• New York becomes first state to commit to all-electric new buildings — Alison F. Takemura