N.C. judges uphold Duke’s net metering reduction

SOLAR: A three-judge panel upholds Duke Energy’s reduced net metering payments to solar owners in North Carolina after hearing arguments that state regulators approved the scheme without an independent study of its costs and benefits. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: A Virginia city council approves a 5 MW solar farm that will provide inexpensive power for about 1,000 homes through a shared solar program. (Virginian-Pilot)

POLITICS: The trial of a Florida man accused of multiple campaign finance-related felonies could put the spotlight on Florida Power & Light for its alleged involvement in so-called ​“dirty tricks” to elect Republicans to help fulfill its legislative priorities. (Floodlight/​Mother Jones)

OIL & GAS:

• West Virginia’s natural gas industry has boomed, but communities are seeing population declines and job losses instead of prosperity the industry had promised. (Mountain State Spotlight)
• An energy newsletter writer discusses how an energy company with a CEO convicted of an embezzlement scheme got so far with its proposal to use a state-backed loan to build a gas-fired power plant before Texas regulators nixed the plan. (Texas Standard)
• A magnitude 5.1 earthquake in Texas raises questions whether fracking could be causing more seismic activity. (KXAN)
• The Caddo and Osage nations in Oklahoma will receive $3.7 million and $1 million in federal funding to plug orphaned wells. (ICT)

PIPELINES:

• A pipeline fire in Houston continues to burn through a second day as hundreds of nearby homes remain evacuated, frustrating residents and causing disruptions. (Associated Press)
• Experts say a Texas pipeline fire and lack of information about air monitoring for pollutants points to the dangers of the state’s emphasis on deregulation and development over public safety. (Texas Observer)
• Federal regulators collect public comment from Texas residents about a company’s proposal to build the 645-mile DeLa Express pipeline from the Permian Basin to a Louisiana port city. (KCEN)

BIOMASS:

• Georgia regulators approve Georgia Power’s plan to buy nearly 80 megawatts from plants that burn wood pellets to make electricity. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• A Canadian company announces plans to build a Louisiana plant to burn wood and garbage to produce natural gas and hydrogen, subsidized by a $10 million state performance grant. (Louisiana Illuminator)

EMISSIONS: A judge considers arguments in a lawsuit alleging two Virginia agencies exceeded their authority when they moved to withdraw the state from a multi-state carbon market at the urging of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. (Roanoke Times)

COAL: Advocates for coal miners with black lung urge West Virginia’s U.S. senators to support increases to the monthly black lung benefits stipend in the congressional budget bill. (West Virginia Watch)

TRANSIT: An Arkansas transit agency partners with a Georgia transportation center to develop a plan for transitioning to zero-emission buses. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, subscription)

NUCLEAR: Federal officials approve a construction permit for a research reactor at a Texas university, marking the first approved university research reactor in more than 30 years. (Power Engineering)

CLEAN ENERGY: Louisiana officials break ground on a planned co-working space and research center dedicated to renewable energy innovation. (NOLA.com)

UTILITIES: South Carolina power companies pitch state lawmakers on ​“cost trackers” to allow them to request rate increases when they reach milestones on large construction projects, such as a proposed $2.5 billion gas-fired power plant that’s expected to take seven years to build. (South Carolina Daily Gazette)