N.C. connects Helene-damaged homes with weatherization

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HURRICANE HELENE

• North Carolina officials set aside $10 million for urgent home repair to help residents recover from Hurricane Helene’s damage, and to improve storm-damaged, low-income households so they can access free energy-efficiency retrofits. (Canary Media)

• Mountain communities in North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia continue to recover from damage caused by flooding and heavy rainfall during Hurricane Helene, one year ago. (Blue Ridge Public Radio, Cardinal News, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

• The approval of plans and distribution of federal funds to support repairs to more than 70,000 damaged homes in Western North Carolina has been ​“painfully slow,” according to a state official. (Carolina Public Press)

• Then-candidate Donald Trump raised $7.7 million for Hurricane Helene relief on GoFundMe that he redirected largely to faith-based Christian charities, but it’s still unclear how that money was spent. (Grist)

GRID

• After years of close calls and conservation requests, Texas’ standalone grid completes what’s been a quiet summer, boosted by milder weather and the rapid growth of solar power and battery storage. (Houston Chronicle)

• PJM President and CEO Manu Asthana responds to criticism from governors by saying states must implement better infrastructure siting and permit reform to ensure enough power plants get built to meet their needs. (Utility Dive)

STORAGE

• College Park, Georgia, officials were set to consider millions in tax breaks for a proposed battery storage facility until the item was abruptly removed from their agenda without explanation. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Virginia regulators begin their consideration of Dominion Energy’s proposed 1,000 gas-fired power plant near the site of a former coal plant, which has generated opposition from neighbors who say it’s unnecessary. (Virginia Mercury)

• A new study finds heavy metal contamination of the Mobile River near Alabama Power’s Plant Barry rivals that of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s disastrous 2008 coal ash spill in Tennessee. (AL.com)

• The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Inspector General releases an audit showing the federal utility lost ratepayers $645 million over three years with a program intended to protect against natural gas price spikes. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

EMISSIONS

• A new report ranks Kentucky as next-to-last in the U.S., ahead only of West Virginia, for health effects from power plant emissions, flood risk to health care facilities, energy efficiency policies, and more. (Kentucky Lantern)

NUCLEAR

• Dominion Energy in Virginia and the Tennessee Valley Authority in Tennessee make moves to deploy nuclear fusion plants, bringing the elusive promise of fusion closer to reality. (Utility Dive)

DATA CENTERS

• A massive wave of data centers popping up across Texas prompts concerns about their water needs in a state that already faces an ongoing water crisis. (Texas Tribune)

• The​NAACP comes out in opposition to a proposed 4.5 million-square-foot data center campus in Alabama, citing concerns over energy, water usage, and lack of transparency. (Inside Climate News)

• Fermi America announces a collaboration with Siemens Energy to secure 1.1 GW of gas-fired generation equipment and use its nuclear steam turbine technology to support its 11 GW data center campus in Texas. (news release)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• Can climate comedy still work? This offshore wind ad suggests it can. — Clare Fieseler

• Chart: Check out how fast China is shifting to renewables — Dan McCarthy

• Sweden’s Stegra to supply green steel for Microsoft’s data centers — Maria Gallucci

• Virtual power plants may soon provide more electricity to Illinois’ grid — Kari Lydersen