New York advances balcony solar, Fervo faces a blowout, and more headlines

This roundup of U.S. energy news headlines is part of our Canary Media Daily newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

OFFSHORE WIND

• A Republican appropriations bill in the U.S. House calls for hefty inspection fees for offshore wind turbines, a proposal one expert says is ​“another direct effort to constrain the offshore wind industry.” (E&E News)

SOLAR

• New York’s assembly passes a bill to legalize plug-in balcony solar panels, sending it to the governor’s desk. (legislation)

DATA CENTERS

• Virginia data centers are currently connected to 10,500 diesel backup generators, which experts say could harm public health even if they’re used sparingly. (Washington Post)

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) says she probably won’t consider a statewide data center moratorium, saying land use decisions lie within local governments’ purview. (E&E News)

• Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox pushes back against plans to power the proposed Stratos Project data center solely with natural gas, saying it should also draw from nuclear, solar, geothermal, and other technology. (Grist)

GEOTHERMAL

• Advanced geothermal developer Fervo Energy experienced a blowout at its Utah development this week, just weeks after the firm went public and attracted huge investor interest. (Axios)

BATTERIES

• Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Seven States Power Corp. will use $439 million in federal funding to build grid-scale batteries across the state. (Chattanooga Times Free Press, Johnson City Press)

• DTE Energy signs a $1.6 billion procurement deal for grid storage batteries produced by LG Energy Solution in West Michigan to support the grid as demand from data centers grows. (MLive)

UTILITIES

• The terms of two Tennessee Valley Authority board members will soon expire and leave the board short of a quorum unless President Donald Trump nominates replacements that the U.S. Senate approves. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Exxon Mobil shareholders approve a plan to move the company’s legal headquarters from New Jersey to Texas, where a law passed last year heightens legal protections for corporations. (Reuters)

GRID

• MISO pushes back on utilities’ claims that competitive bidding for transmission projects can add 16 to 20 months to the building process. (Utility Dive)

PIPELINES

• Legal experts say the dispute between Energy Transfer and Greenpeace has become especially notable as it spans two countries and now stretches on for an unprecedented decade. (New York Times)