How solar leases boost income for Black farmers in the Carolinas

SOLAR: A company encourages Black farmers in the Southeast to lease some of their property for solar projects to add a new source of income. (Civil Eats)

ALSO:

• Solar manufacturer Qcells’ new recycling deal will allow reclamation of more than 95% of a solar module’s value as the company builds a Georgia factory to produce 3.3 GW of panels annually, in addition to an existing 5.1 GW plant. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• Florida lawmakers consider a bill backed by Florida Power & Light to allow utilities that build solar, especially in rural areas, to avoid paying some taxes. (Miami Herald)

OIL & GAS:

• Production in the Permian Basin surges as companies ramp up operations in response to rising oil prices. (Axios)
• The $26 billion Diamondback-Endeavor merger underscores recent consolidation in the Permian Basin’s oil and gas industry, as just 10 companies will now control the equivalent of more than 6.4 million barrels of oil per day. (Financial Times)
• Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry announces a $100 million bond allocation for Chevron to expand a renewable diesel plant. (news release)

PIPELINES:

• A federal appeals court again rejects landowners’ challenge to the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s use of eminent domain. (Reuters)
• An investigation shows how a playbook developed by TransCanada against protestors in the fight over the Keystone XL pipeline has been weaponized against activists trying to block the Mountain Valley Pipeline. (Grist)

RENEWABLE GAS: Florida lawmakers consider legislation to allow utilities to charge customers for ​“renewable gas” projects, but clean energy advocates warn the move could keep the state tied to gas combustion and fossil fuels. (WLRN)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blames electric vehicles for a 20% year-over-year increase in the cost of auto insurance. (Florida Politics)

NUCLEAR: Virginia lawmakers advance legislation to allow Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy to recover costs from developing small modular nuclear reactors. (Virginia Mercury)

CLEAN ENERGY: A Texas county board votes to approve agreements that clear the way for an energy company to build a hydrogen plant, solar farm and wind farm totalling 1,500 MW. (KVII)

GRID:

• Residents of Lubbock, Texas, are overwhelmed with the choice of more than 30 power providers after the city shifts from exclusive service by its municipal utility to the state’s deregulated energy market. (Texas Tribune)
• North Carolina approves a deal to award Siemens Energy nearly $10 million if it meets hiring and investment goals in a new expansion to make large transformers for the power grid. (Raleigh News & Observer, WBTV)

EMISSIONS: A Texas oil and gas company will pay $4 million for air pollution violations due to improper storage at 23 facilities in Texas and New Mexico. (USA Today)

CLIMATE: New research from Virginia Tech and a federal agency shows much of the East Coast is sinking due to groundwater depletion, compounding the concurrent problem of rising sea levels. (New York Times)

COMMENTARY: Time is running out for Georgia lawmakers to push Georgia Power to store its coal ash more responsibly and to take action against a mining threat to the Okefenokee Swamp, writes a publisher. (Georgia Recorder)