In Korea, Georgia’s GOP governor spotlights state’s clean energy wins

POLITICS: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp highlights the state’s clean energy projects on a trip to South Korea while helping shore up a foreign policy weak spot on his national resume, should he decide to pursue federal office. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

SOLAR:

• Researchers and installers work to strengthen solar panels against high winds produced by increasingly severe storms in Puerto Rico and other places along the Caribbean Sea. (Inside Climate News)
• Virginia residents worry a proposed 250 MW solar farm could negatively affect the outdoor recreation economy and farmland. (WJHL)

OIL & GAS: North Carolina regulators hold a public hearing on Duke Energy’s application to build the first of two natural gas-fired power plants to replace a coal-fired plant. (Courier-Times)

GRID:

• Duke Energy officials say an outage for 730 people in North Carolina was connected to gunfire damage to electrical equipment, raising new concerns about possible attacks on the power grid. (Associated Press)
• After previously encouraging crypto mining companies to locate in the state, some Texas lawmakers are beginning to question the industry as it tests an already stretched power grid. (WFAA)

OVERSIGHT:

• West Virginia’s U.S. senators applaud the confirmation of a state official to a federal energy regulatory board, after she previously won a U.S. Supreme Court case blocking an EPA rule. (Parkersburg News and Sentinel)
• Local Florida utility regulators hold a public meeting to discuss plans to shift billing to charge customers more during times of peak demand. (Spectrum News)
• Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s move to decouple the state’s vehicle emission standards from California’s meets with mixed reaction. (VPM)

PIPELINES:

• Texas residents express concern about a proposed pipeline from Texas’ Permian Basin to Louisiana. (KCEN)
• West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and oil and gas industry officials cheer federal approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline to enter service. (WV News)
• The Sierra Club and a consumer rights group sue to overturn federal approval of a gas pipeline from west Texas to Mexico. (news release)

RENEWABLES: Virginia joins Michigan, New York and Ohio as states with at least 18 contested renewable energy projects, according to a researcher. (Utility Dive)

CLIMATE: Florida reels from intense rainfall and high temperatures at the start of what’s forecast to be an active hurricane season, standing at odds with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to de-emphasize climate change. (Associated Press, NBC News)

HYDROPOWER: Appalachian Power warns of fluctuating water levels on the Roanoke and New rivers as it prepares to increase power generation at hydroelectric dams to support grid operator PJM. (news release)

UTILITIES: Florida residents rally against Tampa Electric’s request to raise rates to boost revenues by more than $1 billion over the next three years. (Florida Phoenix)

COMMENTARY:

• Virginia should accelerate decarbonization by supporting the offshore wind buildout and shifting away from seven active natural gas construction projects, writes a climate activist. (Virginian-Pilot)
• An editorial board is not surprised polling shows a majority of Floridians are concerned about extreme weather and the state’s reliance on natural gas, and wonders why it took so long for state regulators to start pushing back on insurers seeking rate spikes. (Tampa Bay Times)