Mississippi regulators frustrate state solar advocates

SOLAR: Mississippi solar advocates grow frustrated with a board of state regulators who rejected rules to make rooftop solar more affordable and cut speakers off at a ​“solar summit” that featured a representative of an oil-and-gas-funded, anti-renewables think tank. (Floodlight)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Florida lags on spending nearly $110 million to install fast chargers, raising questions about whether it will move fast enough to meet a deadline for another $88 million and build out electric vehicle infrastructure in a state with the second-most EV drivers in the country. (Miami Herald)
• Volkswagen’s Tennessee plant is ​“fast approaching maximum capacity” as it produces an average of 950 vehicles a day. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

OIL & GAS: Texas regulators select 17 natural gas generation projects totaling nearly 10 GW from 72 applications to receive up to $5.4 billion in state-backed loans from a fund to incentivize construction of gas-fired power plants. (Utility Dive)

WIND: Arkansas residents organize against a proposed 30-turbine, 180 MW wind farm. (KATV)

OVERSIGHT:

• Louisiana advocates ponder their next move after a federal judge effectively blocks the U.S. EPA from pursuing claims against ​“Cancer Alley”-based chemical manufacturers through the ​“disparate impact” provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Inside Climate News)
• Texas regulators seek public comment on proposed changes to how they regulate oilfield waste management facilities, as well as geothermal, carbon sequestration and brine mining wells. (Houston Chronicle)

COAL:

• A federal mine safety official touts a new rule to regulate silica dust in coal mines as a U.S. House Republicans push to block funding for the measure. (West Virginia Watch)
• A Virginia county negotiates with West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s coal companies over more than $500,000 in unpaid taxes since 2018. (WBOY)

GRID:

• Texas’ state grid operator delays its plans to inspect a 412 MW gas-fired power plant so it can continue operating through expected high power demand this winter. (Houston Chronicle)
• A Texas lawmaker prepares legislation to delay the start of school until after Labor Day to save money on cooling and ease demand on the power grid. (Dallas Morning News)

STORAGE: Georgia Power wants to add a 57.5 MW battery at a decommissioned coal plant as part of its plan to add 500 MW of capacity. (Polk Standard Journal)

BIOMASS: Environmental groups assail Georgia Power’s request to build three biomass plants to generate a total of 80 MW. (Capitol Beat News Service)

NUCLEAR: As federal regulators rethink nuclear, South Carolina ranks third in the U.S. for nuclear generation with five nuclear power plants within the state and three more near its borders. (WPDE)

POLITICS:

• Democratic Texas U.S. Senate candidate Colin Allred commits to opposing any bans on fracking in his race against incumbent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. (Houston Chronicle)
• Republican attempts to suppress any mention of climate change in Florida are hampering attempts to address the health impacts of rising heat and extreme weather, experts say. (Stateline)

CLIMATE: South Carolina’s ​“managed retreat” from climate-vulnerable spots along its coastline has become a national model, but is still moving slowly due to residents’ reluctance to leave their homes. (Inside Climate News)

COMMENTARY: Clean energy credits in President Biden’s climate package have created more than 32,000 new good-paying jobs and spurred millions in new investment in Georgia, writes a union electrician. (Georgia Recorder)