Regulators announce mining crackdown after black lung study

COAL: Federal regulators announce they’ll crack down on coal mines that expose workers to harmful levels of silica dust after a recent study confirmed its connection to black lung disease. (Ohio Valley ReSource, West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

UTILITIES:
• Memphis, Tennessee, moves closer to breaking off its 80-year relationship with the Tennessee Valley Authority after early analysis of other electricity providers’ bids show the city could save between $25.7 and $55.3 million annually. (WMC, Commercial Appeal)
• Nashville, Tennessee’s mayor calls on the Tennessee Valley Authority to replace a coal-fired power plant with solar energy instead of the utility’s preference for natural gas. (WPLN)

PIPELINES: Transco seeks a federal permit to build a new compressor station and upgrade its pipeline network in southern Virginia and North Carolina. (Chatham Star-Tribune)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Arkansas officials discuss building out the state’s electric vehicle charging network. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, KNWA)
• Texas officials seek public comment on the state’s plan to build a network of electric vehicle chargers. (North Texas e-News)

STORAGE:
• A 10 MW commercial battery storage facility opens in a southern Virginia city. (Martinsville Bulletin)
• A new study says northern Appalachia’s low cost of living and commercial environment position it well as a regional hub for the energy storage industry. (Business Journal)

OIL & GAS:
• Florida Power & Light begins operating new gas turbines at a power plant as it aims to reduce emissions by 70%. (Power Engineering International)
• All the Southeast states except for Virginia and the Carolinas have passed laws that ban localities from prohibiting gas hookups in buildings. (S&P Global)
• Officials at a large Texas natural gas plant are still trying to determine the cause of an explosion that knocked the plant offline. (Washington Post)
• A renewable gas company plans to build pipeline connections to link large-volume buyers in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas to offset their greenhouse gas emissions. (S&P Global)

NUCLEAR: A central Virginia company wins a contract from the U.S. Defense Department to build the first advanced nuclear microreactor in the U.S. (Virginia Business)

CLIMATE: An organization in coastal Virginia conducts research to develop best flood resilience practices for historic buildings. (WHRO)

FINANCE: A new report finds a North Carolina banking company last year financed more than $856 million in renewable energy projects and issued more than $4 billion in bonds for environmentally and socially focused investments. (Winston-Salem Journal)

COMMENTARY:
• A retired Army official calls on federal regulators to revamp their consideration of more oil and gas infrastructure in hurricane-prone areas along the Gulf Coast. (The Hill)
• A broadcasting company calls on the U.S. government to impose a windfall profit tax on oil companies benefitting from the skyrocketing price of gasoline. (WRAL)
• A columnist chafes at West Virginia regulators’ attempts to force Virginia ratepayers to help pay to keep two coal-fired Appalachian Power plants in West Virginia open and operating. (Virginia Mercury)