Rising seas claim another home in North Carolina’s Outer Banks

CLIMATE: Another home collapses into the sea in a coastal North Carolina community that’s already seen five other houses succumb to erosion and rising seas. (Washington Post, WTVD)

SOLAR:

• A 150 MW solar farm with a 50 MW battery storage facility begins operating in Mississippi as one of the first projects developed under the Tennessee Valley Authority’s green power program. (Renewables Now, Chattanooga Times Free Press)
• An energy company begins operating a 458 MW solar farm in Texas. (Renewables Now)
• An energy company proposes building a 250 MW solar farm next to a natural gas-fired power plant in Virginia. (WCYB)
• A Mississippi county board considers approving a 5,800-acre solar farm. (WJTV)
• An oil and gas company commissions a 9.9 MW solar facility in Texas. (Renewables Now)

OIL & GAS:

• Nashville, Tennessee’s public electric utility board passed a resolution calling on the Tennessee Valley Authority to build solar and batteries instead of a gas-fired plant at a former coal plant, but its opposition wasn’t reflected at a TVA listening session. (WPLN)
• Jacksonville, Florida’s municipal utility considers partnering with another utility to build a natural gas-fired power plant at the site of a former coal plant. (Florida Times-Union)
• A Louisiana energy regulator calls on Gov. Jeff Landry to kickstart the process of amending the state constitution to impose taxes on oil and gas companies, which currently are exempt from paying taxes. (KTAL)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Federal filings show Mercedes-Benz contracted with three consulting firms to bring in at least 11 people for anti-union meetings ahead of an election in which workers voted not to join the United Auto Workers. (AL.com)

POLITICS: Advocates criticize Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin for vetoing a bill to increase funding for an environmental justice council, while appointing members whose work with landfills and natural gas appear to conflict with the council’s mission. (Bay Journal)

CARBON: A Florida county draws more than $1 million in revenue annually from selling carbon credits from a natural preserve, but scientists increasingly question the value of such projects. (Tampa Bay Times)

COAL: An environmental group calls for federal officials to take action against a West Virginia-based coal company that’s accrued nearly $3 million in delinquent penalties from state regulators. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

NUCLEAR:

• Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp tours two new units at Plant Vogtle, the first new nuclear power construction in more than 30 years. (WSB)
• Texas A&M plans the development of numerous small nuclear modules that will contribute power to the Texas grid. (KBTX)

GRID:

• Some Texans could be without power into the weekend as utilities work to restore service to more than a million households after severe storms. (Associated Press)
• A Tennessee meteorologist also works as a short-term load planner working to project how much power the Tennessee Valley Authority’s customers will use during upcoming weather events. (TimesNews)

COMMENTARY:

• Kentucky should pursue renewable energy development atop former coal mines and other brownfields to take advantage of existing energy infrastructure and accelerate the energy transition, writes the state director of the Nature Conservancy. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
• Rising seas and development atop Florida’s barrier islands have led the state to spend well over $100 million on futile ​“beach nourishment” projects, writes an environmental reporter. (Florida Phoenix)