Rural N.C. town looks to clean energy for economic stability

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CLEAN ENERGY

• The mayor of a rural, historically disadvantaged North Carolina town embraces clean energy in search of economic stability, with plans to build a solar farm, replace its electric substation, and create a weatherization ​“storefront” to help residents increase efficiency and lower their power bills. (Canary Media)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Developers of liquified natural gas export terminals in Louisiana and Texas scramble to rework contracts and adjust to rising costs that have been exacerbated by Trump’s burgeoning trade war. (Houston Chronicle)

• Oil prices slump after Trump announces wide-ranging tariffs, leading the oil and gas industry to warn the resulting trade war could threaten the president’s promise of ​“energy dominance.” (Politico)

• A company withdraws its plan to build a 3,500 MW gas-fired power plant and accompanying data center complex in Virginia after intense opposition from residents, and now is considering building a residential subdivision instead. (Danville Register & Bee)

• Oklahoma lawmakers advance legislation to expand the state’s fund to plug abandoned oil and gas wells from around $2.5 million annually to up to $20 million. (Oklahoma Voice)

SOLAR

• A Virginia county board votes to block future utility-scale solar development, though it still will consider three pending projects, including proposals for 80 MW, 90 MW, and 97 MW solar farms. (Cardinal News)

• Texas lawmakers approve a bill to give a state board the authority to fine residential solar companies up to $100,000 for deceptive sales practices. (Houston Chronicle)

• Arkansas residents gather signatures in an effort to put the question of whether NextEra should receive tax incentives to build a solar and battery farm to a vote in the general election. (KTBS)

WIND

• Arkansas lawmakers advance legislation to develop regulations for all wind farms in the state, including those in the Delta region that had previously been considered for exemption. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

• Oklahoma lawmakers advance bills to create residential setbacks for wind farms, but the House and Senate have different approaches that have yet to be reconciled. (Oklahoma Voice)

COAL ASH

• The Tennessee Valley Authority seeks public input on its plans to build facilities in Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee to process coal ash and other residuals instead of storing it in landfills. (WATE)

CARBON CAPTURE

• Louisiana regulators issue a draft permit for a carbon capture project, the first since it secured regulatory authority over such projects in 2023. (E&E News)

GRID

• Texas grid operator ERCOT already struggles to keep up with rising demand and avoid a repeat of widespread outages caused by a 2021 winter storm, and now faces projections of drastically higher demand from the state’s growing data center sector. (Houston Chronicle)

• ERCOT’s CEO tells state lawmakers he doesn’t see evidence yet that the grid ​“is going to fall off a cliff” due to projected growth in demand from 85.5 GW now to 208 GW by 2030. (Houston Chronicle)

UTILITIES

• The Tennessee Valley Authority’s new CEO begins his job at a lower pay rate than his predecessor, although a Tennessee Congress member says the salary is ​“a slap in the face to the ratepayers.” (Chattanooga Times Free Press)