Report: Feds overlook how LNG terminals harm ​“fenceline” communities

OIL & GAS: A new report says federal regulators are overlooking the potential cumulative effects of a planned liquified natural gas export terminal buildout in Louisiana and Texas on vulnerable ​“fenceline” communities of color around them. (Floodlight)

ALSO:

• The Tennessee Valley Authority is moving forward with plans to build a natural gas-fired plant to replace a Tennessee coal plant set for retirement, despite criticism by the U.S. EPA that the decision was essentially a ​“foreordained formality.” (Associated Press)
• Tennessee residents and activists gather to oppose the TVA’s plans for a new natural gas plant. (WZTV)
• South Carolina’s need for a new natural gas-fired power plant is brought into question by representatives of a pipeline company who say an influx of solar and battery power is reducing the need for natural gas. (The State)
• The U.S. EPA announces new methane reporting rules for oil and gas facilities, which studies show have long underreported emissions. (news release; E&E News, subscription)

SOLAR:

• Virginia’s recent passage of new laws expanding community solar programs is part of a national trend that’s seen 20 states implement similar policies to enable low-income residents to access renewable energy. (Virginia Mercury)
• A Mississippi-based company anticipates it will receive $93 million to develop distributed residential solar programs for low-income residents in Arkansas. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

GRID:

• Texas’ grid manager issues a weather watch as high temperatures arrive in Texas with the potential to push power demand close to capacity. (Houston Chronicle)
• Virginia’s concentration of more than 300 data center facilities, which process nearly 70% of the world’s information, strain not just the regional power grid but the area’s water supply. (Grist)
• Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp vetoes a bill to suspend a tax break for data centers for two years to give the state a chance to assess their energy usage. (Georgia Recorder)

STORAGE: Observers expect the nation’s grid-scale battery storage capacity to double this year, with California, Arizona and Texas seeing the largest growth. (New York Times)

NUCLEAR: Dominion Energy says it’s on track with a $1.2 million upgrade of two aging nuclear plants in Virginia, although the process of replacing giant heat exchangers around each reactor has been complicated. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

UTILITIES: A new report finds that spikes in natural gas prices accounted for two-thirds of the power bill increases over the last seven years for Duke Energy customers in North Carolina. (WFAE)

POLITICS: U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia wants to send a ​“strong message” with a resolution of disapproval of the U.S. EPA’s new proposed rules to crack down on emissions from coal-fired and new natural-gas fired power plants. (State Journal)

COMMENTARY:

• Virginia should not focus solely on small modular nuclear reactors but instead embrace solar and other renewables as part of a ​“diverse and inclusive energy strategy” to power its booming data center sector, writes an attorney. (Virginia Mercury)
• A Florida city’s $6.5 billion development of a historic district should include measures to develop a disaster-ready microgrid, solar energy and green spaces, write two Sierra Club officials. (Tampa Bay Times)