Rural N.C. town remains committed to clean energy

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CLEAN ENERGY

• A rural, largely Black North Carolina town pursues a multifaceted clean energy vision anchored by a solar-and-battery-powered weatherization hub at a century-old bungalow despite the Trump administration’s rollback of federal incentives. (Canary Media)

• Texas’ successful reliance on solar, wind, and battery storage to shore up its power grid and lower energy prices belies Trump’s claims that renewables have made U.S. electricity unstable and expensive. (Reuters)

UTILITIES

• State regulators consider approving Georgia Power’s long-range plan, which critics have dinged for its lack of energy efficiency promotion and uncertain demand projections centered on ​“large-load” customers like data centers. (Capitol Beat News Service, WABE)

• Appalachian Power announces plans to use securitization bonds to save ratepayers money as it recovers recent costs from storms and the $1.2 billion balance on two West Virginia coal-fired power plants. (Cardinal News)

SOLAR

• Virginia solar installers brace for the rollback of the federal rooftop solar tax credit and a potential decision from state regulators to allow Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy to reduce net metering rates. (Cardinal News)

• RWE Clean Energy announces plans to invest $225 million to build a 198 MW solar farm in South Carolina. (WCIV)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Nissan announces plans to delay the production of two electric crossovers at a Mississippi factory due to a slowdown in EV demand. (WAPT)

• North Carolina lithium-ion battery manufacturers say they’re committed to moving forward with production despite concerns about demand after Republicans eliminated federal tax credits for EVs. (WFAE)

PIPELINES

• Federal regulators consider the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company’s proposal to build a 208-mile pipeline from Mississippi to Alabama. (Magnolia Tribune)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Oil giant Saudi Aramco negotiates to purchase liquified natural gas from Commonwealth LNG’s proposed export terminal in Louisiana to strengthen its market position. (Reuters)

• Texas lawmakers pass a suite of bills to crack down on oil field thefts that the oil and gas industry says adds up to a billion-dollar loss in the Permian Basin. (Houston Chronicle)

GRID

• Data center development has become a prominent issue for residents of Northern Virginia, which is home to 13% of all data centers globally and 25% of those in North and South America. (Fairfax County Times)

• West Virginia residents opposed to the development of a power plant and data center complex run into problems getting governmental and business leaders to take a stand on the proposal. (Country Roads News)

POLITICS

• Democrats flip the script by criticizing Trump for cuts to the National Weather Service and other agencies ahead of the fatal Texas floods, similar to how he attacked the Biden administration for wildfires in Hawaii and hurricane damage in North Carolina. (E&E News)

• The mayor of​Kerrville, Texas, says he’s unaware of assistance provided to the county ahead of fatal flooding after Gov. Greg Abbott claims the state had ​“assets, resources, and personnel” in place before the event. (Texas Tribune)

• U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin says he’s asking staff to compile information about contrails and geoengineering amid a surge of conspiracy theories about weather modification following the fatal flooding in Texas. (E&E News)

COMMENTARY

• Trump’s firing of three Tennessee Valley Authority board members and moves to appoint four new nominees, including a GOP megadonor, is ​“making a political mockery” of the federal utility, writes the executive director of a regional clean energy advocacy group. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)