Florida sets 100% renewable goal — but attaining it will be tricky

CLIMATE: Florida announces a goal to run on 100% renewable energy by 2050, but getting there will require enforcement by the state Public Service Commission, which has a track record of utility-friendly policies. (Associated Press, Tampa Bay Times)

ALSO:
• A Florida professor teaches students to deal with ​“eco-anxiety” that can affect the mental health of people worried over climate change. (Tampa Bay Times)
• A Georgia professor uses Earth Day to call for the state to lead on climate change policies. (WXIA)

SOLAR: One Virginia county planning board votes to defer action on an 800 MW solar farm after its consultant recommends delay, while a different county planning board recommends approval for a 47 MW solar facility. (South Boston News & Record)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY:
• A northern Virginia faith community worked with a developer to build a more eco-friendly church and a 113-unit apartment building, while an Atlanta church is converting to provide affordable housing for seniors. (KATC)
• A sustainability expert points to a Virginia school that uses solar and geothermal heating as a possible model as the federal government launches a multibillion-dollar federal push to renovate public schools. (NPR)

EMISSIONS:
• Two large pipeline companies partner with universities to study greenhouse gas emissions along natural gas pipelines in Louisiana and across the U.S. (The Advocate)
• Nearly two dozen people were hospitalized in Louisiana after a fire led to a chlorine gas leak outside the Dow Hydrocarbons complex. (The Advocate)
• Federal highway officials announce $6.4 billion for states to reduce emissions, including up to $86.9 million for Arkansas. (KUAR)

OIL & GAS:
• A chemical maker announces it will close its Houston crude oil refinery next year after two failed attempts to sell it. (Reuters)
• Shipping manifests show Texas terminals exported large quantities of liquified natural gas during last year’s winter storm even as stateside shortages led to blackouts. (Austin Bulldog)
• This week marked the 12th anniversary of the BP oil spill, which killed 11 people and devastated the Gulf of Mexico. (WGNO)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Southeastern states have largely used money from the six-year-old Volkswagen emissions settlement to jumpstart their electric vehicle charging infrastructure and replace older vehicles in transit fleets. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)

STORAGE: An eastern Tennessee cleantech company promotes a new building cooling technology using ice thermal energy storage. (Oak Ridger)

POLITICS: Top oil and gas companies spent significantly more on lobbying in the first months of 2022 than a year earlier, with Texas-based Occidental Petroleum leading the way. (Center for Responsive Politics)

COMMENTARY: Virginia’s rural areas are seeing more solar energy development due to a law backed largely by lawmakers from metro communities, writes the editor of a nonprofit news site. (Cardinal News)