How a federal grant is building Appalachia’s clean energy economy

CLEAN ENERGY: A coalition of regional groups uses a $10 million federal grant to recruit more than 1,000 small and medium manufacturers for the growing clean energy economy in West Virginia and four other Appalachian states. (Energy News Network)

ALSO:

• Texas’ combination of geography, federal energy subsidies, deregulated energy market and state-wide power grid contribute to the rapid growth of wind and solar in the state, but politics could disrupt the dynamic. (CNET)
• A report shows Louisiana has received $10.2 billion so far from the two federal infrastructure and climate packages, and is using it for battery storage, carbon capture and clean energy development. (NOLA.com)

CARBON CAPTURE: The U.S. EPA grants Louisiana the authority to approve and regulate the drilling of wells for carbon capture projects. (Louisiana Illuminator)

SOLAR: Solar advocates in Georgia and elsewhere embrace federal funding for programs to reduce energy bills by making solar power affordable for lower-income households. (WABE/​Grist)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Texas auto dealers will play a pivotal role in determining whether customers embrace the transition to electric vehicles. (Dallas Morning News)
• Virginia auto dealerships are investing an​average of $350,000 each to prepare for the shift to electric vehicles despite concerns about their short-term popularity. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• An India-based electric vehicle battery maker plans to begin construction this year on a North Carolina factory. (Wilmington StarNews)
• An independent auto dealer announces it will open North Carolina’s first VinFast dealership as the electric vehicle maker builds a factory in the state. (WTVD)

WIND: A Virginia city receives more than $39.2 million to renovate a marine terminal into an offshore wind logistics facility. (WVEC)

HYDROGEN:

• Gulf Coast hydrogen developers eye new rules announced by the Biden administration governing how tax credits will be awarded. (Houston Chronicle)
• West Virginia’s U.S. senators complain new tax credit rules could kneecap attempts to build a hydrogen hub there. (Parkersburg News and Sentinel)

GRID:

• Federal regulators conclude Texas should reduce its reliance on natural gas to avoid power outages like those that nearly caused the state grid to collapse in a 2021 winter storm. (Houston Chronicle)
• Dominion Energy says it’s boosting grid security in Virginia after a man is convicted of breaking into a substation to steal copper wire. (Loudoun Times-Mirror)
• Two American Electric Power subsidiaries detail their efforts to boost grid infrastructure around three West Virginia industrial parks. (WV Metro News)

POLITICS: Virginia environmental justice advocates worry Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin is hampering a 2020 law intended to boost transparency and engagement with communities affected by pipelines and other energy projects. (Inside Climate News)

OVERSIGHT:

• Texas regulators appear to be evading federal law by allowing polluting facilities to break major projects into smaller, ​“minor” permits that allow them to sidestep more stringent requirements and oversight. (Texas Tribune/​Inside Climate News)
• West Virginia lawmakers consider increasing funding to hire more oil and gas well inspectors. (WV Metro News)

COAL:

• An Alabama surface mine continues to operate even though it lacks required pollution permits, and state officials seem prepared to let it carry on. (Inside Climate News)
• A legal firm in Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia navigates black lung cases for coal miners who often don’t understand the process. (Kingsport TimesNews)
• A bond company asks a federal court to award it $8.1 million in its case against West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s coal companies. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

UTILITIES: West Virginia water and gas utilities spat over a line break and service outage last month. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)