EPA quietly drops ​“Cancer Alley” civil rights investigation

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: The U.S. EPA dropped its civil rights investigation into petrochemical development near largely Black communities in Louisiana’s ​“Cancer Alley” because it couldn’t wrap it up ahead of a deadline. (NPR)

SOLAR:

• Clean energy advocates push back against North Carolina regulators’ approval of Duke Energy’s proposals to charge rooftop solar customers a monthly fee and reduce what they’re paid for excess energy. (Wilmington StarNews)
• A Florida solar company offers to help customers with rooftop systems installed by a Texas-based firm that’s now gone out of business and is the subject of nearly 250 complaints. (WJXT)

STORAGE: Some Oklahoma residents express worries about a 200 MW battery storage facility NextEra is building along with a solar project near an existing wind farm. (Enid News & Eagle)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A Georgia county considers rezoning a 42-acre site with rail access that seems likely to attract a supplier for Hyundai’s nearby electric vehicle and battery plant. (Rome News-Tribune)
• Georgia expands its plan to build out its electric vehicle charging infrastructure after receiving $130 million in federal funding last year. (Capitol Beat News Service)
• North Carolina officials break ground on a multimodal charging station at a jetport that can charge electric aircraft as well as cars and trucks. (Raleigh News & Observer)

OIL & GAS:

• Kentucky used $25 million in federal funding to clean up 627 abandoned oil and gas wells in 27 counties last year. (Louisville Public Media)
• West Virginia could receive up to $212 million to clean and plug abandoned oil and gas wells, but the federal funding will likely cover just a fraction of the state’s need. (Mountain State Spotlight)
• Virginia residents ramp up opposition to Dominion Energy’s planned 1,000 MW natural gas peaker plant near the James River. (Sierra)

COAL ASH: Georgia Power announces a plan to open a facility at a former coal-fired power plant to process coal ash stored on-site and market it for other uses. (Capitol Beat News Service)

COAL: The head of West Virginia’s coal association thanks state lawmakers for ​“all the pro-coal legislation and policies” passed over the last few years, but warns of challenges for the industry as more coal-fired power plants close. (Independent Herald)

NUCLEAR: A Virginia study identifies seven sites across four southwestern counties as possible locations to build a small modular nuclear reactor. (Cardinal News)

GRID:

• South Carolina electric cooperative officials call for more power generation and natural gas-fired plants to boost grid reliability as more residents and businesses move to the state. (The State)
• Texas residents will vote on a series of ballot measures that include a proposal to create a $5 billion fund to incentivize the construction of natural gas-fired power plants. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

ACTIVISM: An Appalachian environmental group brings together representatives from West Virginia nonprofits to discuss how to track industrial development and opportunities for clean energy-related businesses. (Weirton Daily Times)

UTILITIES: Duke Energy asks Florida regulators to pass $91.9 million in costs from Hurricane Idalia on to its customers. (Tampa Bay Times)

COMMENTARY: The potential for the electric vehicle transition to result in sustainable manufacturing jobs that pay a living wage hinges on the success of the United Auto Workers’ strike in Kentucky and beyond, writes an analyst. (Louisville Courier Journal)