Ford doubles down on EVs in Kentucky

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.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Ford announces it will invest nearly $2 billion into building more affordable EVs at its Kentucky assembly plant and to roll out a $30,000 mid-sized electric pickup truck by 2027. (Kentucky Lantern, Louisville Public Media)

• Florida EV startup Imola Automotive USA pitched small towns in Georgia, Oklahoma, and Arkansas on its plans to build six factories and create 45,000 jobs, but still hasn’t broken ground more than a year and a half later, and its leadership has gone largely silent. (Floodlight)

OVERSIGHT

• Former Virginia regulator Mark Christie steps down as chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Trump reportedly plans to name an aide to former U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin currently on the board to replace him as chair. (E&E News, Axios)

• Texas regulators sue the state’s attorney generator to block the release of data on cryptocurrency mining over concerns that doing so could lead to terrorism. (Straight Arrow News)

FOSSIL FUELS

• An analysis suggests Permian Basin operators are shifting their focus from crude oil to gas to accommodate rising liquified natural gas exports and data center demand. (Houston Chronicle)

• North Carolina regulators will hold a public hearing on the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s request for a water quality certification for its planned Southgate spur. (NC Newsline)

• “Enough is enough”: Virginia residents pack a state informational hearing to oppose Dominion Energy’s plan to build a 1,000 MW gas peaker plant at the site of a shuttered coal plant. (Virginia Mercury)

• The Trump administration announces it will raise the cap on how much Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas can receive from offshore energy leases along the Gulf Coast. (E&E News)

• Enterprise Products Partners purchases Occidental Petroleum’s gas gathering affiliate and its 200 miles of pipelines for $580 million and will provide Occidental with gas gathering and processing services in Texas. (Houston Chronicle)

• More than 70 Gulf Coast residents converge on New York to protest insurers and financiers who fund fossil fuel companies as they expand their footprint in Louisiana and Texas. (Inside Climate News)

SOLAR

• Highland Materials announces plans to build a $1 billion polysilicon factory in Tennessee, in part to take advantage of an advanced manufacturing and technology facility located there. (CleanTechnica)

WIND

• The Trump administration cancels plans to develop offshore wind energy in federal waters, including an area off the Louisiana coast that was approved during the Biden administration. (Associated Press)

• An Arkansas county board passes an emergency ordinance for wind farms to comply with a restrictive state law, becoming the state’s first county to reject an outright moratorium on wind energy construction. (Arkansas Times)

STORAGE

• Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities drops plans to build a 400 MW battery storage facility as it pursues plans to expand its use of fossil fuels. (Energy Storage News)

EMISSIONS

• The Trump administration allows 25 chemical makers, including 12 in Louisiana, to ignore new federal air pollution rules. (WWNO)

UTILITIES

• Many Georgia residents are seeing higher electricity bills because of rate hikes, extreme heat, and summer power plans. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

• West Virginia regulators begin to hear testimony on Appalachian Power’s proposed rate increase to recover $91.3 million it spent on coal and natural gas, with one executive saying the utility would consider folding the cost into its plans for securitization. (WV Metro News)

• The Tennessee Valley Authority will end a special retirement plan it developed to attract and retain its top executives. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

• The Tennessee Valley Authority’s chief economic developer announces his retirement after more than two decades developing its strategy for recruiting businesses. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

CLIMATE

• Texas families who survived last month’s Hill Country flooding — which killed at least 138 people, damaged more than 2,000 structures, and caused an estimated $1.1 billion in damage — consider whether to rebuild or to move on. (Grist)

• Louisiana U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy urges Congress to take action to reauthorize and reform the National Flood Insurance Program to address rising premiums. (WRKF)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• Trump admin reopens $5B EV charging program after losses in court — Jeff St. John

• States look to unleash wind and solar boom while tax credits still exist — Maria Gallucci

• Trump’s push to mine deep-sea battery metals draws ire from allies — Clare Fieseler

• NYC utility tests portable home batteries to dull AC’s impact on the grid — Samantha Maldonado, THE CITY