S.C. passes sweeping energy reform bill

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Southeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

OVERSIGHT

• South Carolina lawmakers pass a sweeping bill to streamline the state’s energy permitting process, create an appeals process for utilities, and fast-track the conversion of a former coal plant to a 2,000 MW gas-fired plant. (South Carolina Daily Gazette, Post and Courier)

• Eight Georgia candidates line up to run for two seats on the state’s Public Service Commission after elections were delayed from 2022, and candidates already are debating how to tackle higher bills and data center growth. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Recorder)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Experts say the Trump administration’s push for gas-powered automobiles has slowed the EV transition in North Carolina and other Southeast states, but investments in new EV factories and the charging network ensure the shift will continue to pick up momentum. (Wilmington StarNews)

• While new auto plants in the U.S. are largely focused on building EVs and batteries, their reliance on foreign components means Trump’s tariffs will still hurt the EV industry. (Politico)

FOSSIL FUELS

• A Louisiana jury begins deliberations in a case in which a parish government argued Texaco circumvented state law by failing to apply for permits and not removing oil and gas infrastructure from a site when operations ended, thereby causing pollution and loss of coastal land. (NOLA.com)

• The newly formed Delta Utilities takes over gas service for about 380,000 customers in Louisiana and Mississippi after purchasing CenterPoint Energy’s natural gas distribution utilities in those states. (Shreveport Times)

• A natural gas company uses a new interpretation of shale lease contracts that pay out what seems to be a lower royalty rate to lease owners in Arkansas, and a legislative fix has stalled in the state legislature. (White County Citizen)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Texas tops the list of states where energy bills could rise if Congress strips away clean-energy tax credits and emissions rules. (Canary Media)

• A European investment firm commits about $500 million to Tennessee-based solar and battery developer Silicon Ranch. (Wall Street Journal)

NUCLEAR

• The Tennessee Valley Authority will reapply for $800 million for its Tennessee small modular nuclear reactor project after the U.S. Energy Department revised the application to strip out Biden-era community engagement and equity requirements. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

• Nuclear firm BWX Technologies opens a Virginia factory in hopes of mass producing shippable nuclear reactors, but critics question the cost, safety, and slow pace of building such reactors. (WVTF)

GRID

• The U.S. Energy Department identifies Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia sites in a list of 16 locations for data centers to develop artificial intelligence. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

• Virginia residents express concern at local board meetings about Dominion Energy’s plans to build high-voltage transmission lines. (WJLA)

• Memphis, Tennessee’s municipal utility warns that severe weather could hamper its efforts to restore power to about 5,000 customers. (WKNO)

EMISSIONS

• West Virginia lawmakers defeat a bill to create a state-administered registry to track forested properties covered by carbon offset agreements. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

MINING

• The North Carolina transportation department finalizes a deal to mine about three million cubic yards of rock from Pisgah National Forest as it works to rebuild Interstate 40 from damage caused by Hurricane Helene. (Asheville Watchdog)

CLIMATE

• Forecasters warn of torrential rain and flash floods today in Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee communities already reeling from a recent bout of tornadoes. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY

• Driving an electric vehicle is patriotic because it lessens the United States’ dependence on foreign oil, supports energy security, and fosters economic prosperity, writes a military veteran. (Orlando Sentinel)