Feds approve pipeline to TVA’s coal-to-gas conversion

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PIPELINES

• Federal regulators approve the 122-mile extension of an Enbridge natural gas pipeline in Tennessee to reach a Tennessee Valley Authority power plant that’s shifting from coal to natural gas. (WATE)

RENEWABLES

• Lawmakers in Texas, Oklahoma, and other Republican-led states move forward with legislation to restrict or block renewable energy projects despite wind and solar’s role in boosting the power grid. (Stateline)

• A report finds companies canceled more clean manufacturing projects in the first quarter of 2025 than over the last two years combined, including a $1 billion battery factory in Georgia. (Washington Post)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• An Oklahoma resident warily places an order on Alibaba and drives eight hours to a Texas port to purchase a Chinese-made Wuling Hongguang Mini EV. (Wired)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Economists warn President Trump’s tariffs will raise costs and soften oil demand, pushing Texas’ oil and gas industry to shed jobs. (Houston Chronicle)

• West Virginia observes the 15th anniversary of the Upper Big Branch explosion that killed 29 coal miners as advocates worry about the effects of the Trump administration’s cuts to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration. (Charleston Gazette-Mail, Kentucky Public Radio)

• West Virginia lawmakers pass bills to repeal state standards for diesel-powered equipment in coal mines and to consolidate mine inspection authority solely in the hands of the state, drawing criticism from a prominent miners union. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

• A subsidiary of Tokyo Gas pays $525 million for a 70% ownership stake in Chevron’s East Texas gas assets. (Associated Press)

WIND

• A Texas wind farm reaches a settlement with a county court that leads an appeals court to withdraw a judgement that found federal production tax credits and power purchase agreements can’t be included in value assessments. (Bloomberg)

GRID

• The owner of a Virginia funeral home worries about the close proximity of high-voltage transmission lines Dominion Energy recently installed to transfer power from its offshore wind farm that’s set for completion next year. (WTKR)

• A new study finds Florida ranks first in the nation for damage to underground utility lines, with lax requirements for digging resulting in lines being damaged an average of 71 times each day. (Florida Politics)

EMISSIONS

• North Carolina lawmakers pass a bill to eliminate a 2030 carbon emission reduction goal for Duke Energy, but critics say its projected savings of up to $13 billion is based on flawed modeling. (Winston-Salem Journal)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

• Students from historically Black colleges and universities gather for a conference in the Gulf South that’s intended to build the next generation of environmental justice leaders. (WWNO)

COMMENTARY

• Tennessee should expand a pilot that lets companies partner with nonprofits to purchase carbon credits that enable low-income residents to buy rooftop solar and energy-efficient appliances at a discount, write two professors at Vanderbilt University. (Tennessean)

• The growth of data centers and West Virginia lawmakers’ push to force Appalachian Power to use more coal could cost Virginia ratepayers who pay for power the state must import, writes an editor. (Cardinal News)

NEW FROM CANARY MEDIA

• A first-of-its-kind home electrification pilot in Massachusetts could offer a model for decarbonizing low- and moderate-income households elsewhere, Sarah Shemkus reports.

• Wind, solar, and EV manufacturers are set to suffer under President Trump’s widespread tariffs, but the fossil fuel industry will face challenges too, Kathryn Krawczyk writes.