Labor deal includes EV investments at Kentucky Ford plant

MANUFACTURING: The United Auto Workers’ tentative agreement with Ford includes a $1.2 billion investment into the automaker’s Louisville, Kentucky, plant to facilitate its transition to producing electric vehicles. (Louisville Courier Journal)

ALSO:

• Siemens says it will spend $510 million on U.S. investments this year, including in a Texas plant that will manufacture switchboards used in electrical power infrastructure. (S&P Global)
• A business group reports last year’s federal clean energy package is spurring the creation of 403,000 jobs by 210 major energy projects, including 750 jobs at a West Virginia battery factory. (Associated Press)

WIND:

• The offshore wind industry sees ups and downs, as federal officials approve the nation’s largest planned offshore wind farm in Virginia and announce new lease areas in the Gulf of Mexico while other projects are canceled. (Associated Press)
• Dominion Energy announces its planned $9.8 billion offshore wind project near Virginia remains on schedule and on budget even while two other East Coast projects were canceled. (E&E News, subscription)

SOLAR:

• West Virginia regulators approve a 100 MW solar farm on a hilly 304-acre site. (State Journal)
• The University of Arkansas expands its solar energy plan to include ​“the largest solar energy project ever in the state of Arkansas.” (KNWA/KFTA)
• A Virginia county considers adjusting its zoning ordinance to require commercial solar plants be located near its two major electrical substations. (Winchester Star)

POLITICS:

• In Kentucky’s closely fought campaign for governor, the Democratic incumbent and Republican challenger both embrace the coal industry even as the state’s energy markets shift toward cleaner power sources. (Kentucky Lantern)
• Texans prepare to vote on a ballot initiative to create a ​“Texas Energy Fund” to incentivize construction of natural gas plants, even though experts caution it fails to take into account the grid’s growing reliance on renewables. (San Antonio Express-News)

OIL & GAS: 

• Residents of a rural North Carolina community are alarmed by Dominion Energy’s plan to build a liquefied natural gas storage facility to hold up to 25 million gallons. (Raleigh News & Observer)
• Shell Oil is announced as an anchor tenant for a New Orleans redevelopment project planned on the Mississippi riverfront. (NOLA.com)

GRID: Texas utility regulators approve a 40% increase in the state grid operator’s budget, most of which will come from passing costs down to companies that sell power to consumers. (San Antonio Express-News)

CLIMATE:

• The U.S. Treasury Department, two U.S. senators and a national group of state regulators are launching inquiries into how insurance companies in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and elsewhere are raising rates in response to climate change. (E&E News)
• This year was Texas’ second-hottest on record, and scientists say it’s not an anomaly but a sign of what’s to come. (Dallas Morning News)
• Developers start to build homes designed to be more resilient against extreme weather, from tightening solar panels more snugly to reducing their carbon footprint. (Associated Press)

EMISSIONS:

• Growing evidence suggests that draining the water in a bountiful Florida region known as the Everglades Agricultural Area has turned it into a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. (Inside Climate News)
• Texas plans to spend about half a billion federal dollars on projects to reduce transportation-related carbon emissions, but critics deride the ​“disappointing” plans for doing ​“the bare minimum.” (Texas Tribune)

COAL: Two workers have died following last week’s collapse at a Kentucky coal processing plant. (WSAZ/​Gray News)

COMMENTARY:

• Shifting the electric grid to more renewables will boost reliability and prevent blackouts as climate-driven heat and extreme weather become more intense, write two climate activists. (Winston-Salem Journal)
• An editorial board hails Toyota’s announcement it will invest an additional $8 million into its North Carolina electric vehicle battery plant and more than double the employment there. (Winston-Salem Journal)