N.C. pauses building efficiency rule changes

BUILDINGS: North Carolina officials delay overhauling building codes that would’ve improved energy efficiency in new construction amid developers’ sustained opposition to the proposed rules. (Energy News Network)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: A new highway expansion built for an Alabama industrial park for electric vehicle, solar and transformer companies leads to a flooding and housing crisis in a rural Black community. (Capital B)

SOLAR:
• A Chinese solar company announces an expansion of its Florida solar panel factory even after city officials withdrew $2.3 million in planned property tax rebates because federal officials executed a search warrant there. (Florida Times-Union)
• The Seminole Tribe of Florida installs solar and battery storage on four public buildings on the Big Cypress reservation. (CleanTechnica)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a law that prohibits most direct-to-consumer vehicle sales but appears to include an exception specifically for Tesla. (Florida Politics)
• The electric vehicle industry rapidly takes shape in Georgia as Hyundai and a growing number of suppliers announce and build factories. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, subscription)
• Arkansas’ largest mass transit agency announces the rollout of five electric buses. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

UTILITIES: An analysis of the 15 largest U.S. power companies finds only Duke Energy has a ​“detailed plan” to reach net-zero emissions. (S&P Global)

WIND: North Carolina joins a coalition of East Coast states to compensate the fishing industry’s economic losses from offshore wind. (Coastal Review)

GRID: Texas’ grid manager projects power demand will reach a record-breaking 82,000 MW by Friday, but assures residents the power grid should hold even if demand soars above 88,000 MW. (Houston Chronicle)

COAL:
• West Virginia officials keep scrambling to save a 1,300 MW coal-fired power plant set to close even though coal continues to decline as a regional electricity generator. (IEEFA, West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
• A coal company warns 258 Kentucky employees of possible layoffs due to money troubles, though another mining company appears likely to buy the failing company out. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
• Parcels spanning more than 2,200 acres near the Kentucky-Virginia border that belong to a coal company owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s family will be auctioned Friday because of unpaid taxes. (Cardinal News)

PIPELINES: An expert expects opponents of the Mountain Valley Pipeline will challenge the project’s congressional approval based on the U.S. Constitution’s ​“separation of powers” clause, arguing it prohibits Congress from overruling federal courts. (Radio IQ)

POLITICS: North Carolina lawmakers pass a bill that blocks localities from enacting bans on natural gas or other energy based on fuel type, and also lays out a process for state regulators to draft rules for decommissioning solar farms. (WRAL)

COMMENTARY:
• Florida faces a policy decision whether to pursue federally supported clean energy manufacturing deals or pay more dealing with the costly effects of climate change, writes a researcher at a climate policy think tank. (Miami Herald)
• Pumped-storage hydropower can be clunky and expensive, but generates so much on-demand power it should be reconsidered as fossil fuel plants close, writes an editor. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)