Struggling EV companies move to preserve their Southeast factories

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Volkswagen announces it will invest $5 billion in electric vehicle startup Rivian in a deal that will allow shared use of Rivian’s software. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chattanooga Times Free Press)
• Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast introduces a mini-SUV priced for ​“mass appeal” in hopes that higher sales will boost its stock prices and allay concerns about construction delays at its planned North Carolina factory. (Washington Post)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE:

• Black residents in Louisiana’s ​“Cancer Alley” call on the U.S. Justice Department to protect them against the ongoing expansion of the region’s petrochemical industry and its pollution. (Floodlight)
• A South Carolina city’s planned cleanup of soil contaminated with coal tar could take more than a decade to complete, frustrating residents of a historically Black neighborhood. (Greenville News)

CARBON CAPTURE: Louisiana officials announce two new carbon capture projects, frustrating residents who say the technology will prolong the use of fossil fuels. (Associated Press)

SOLAR:

• A solar company announces deals with two steel fabricators in Texas and one in Ohio to produce solar module frames. (PV Magazine)
• Alabama residents express concern about a planned solar farm. (WSFA)

PIPELINES: Records indicate the Mountain Valley Pipeline experienced another rupture in Virginia during hydrostatic testing this month, just days before it received permission from federal regulators to enter service. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

OVERSIGHT:

• Georgia moves to restart elections for its state energy regulatory board after the U.S. Supreme Court declines to take up a case arguing the statewide elections dilute the voting power of Black residents. (Grist)
• An Austin, Texas, commission votes to amend its bylaws to give it an advisory role in the city’s negotiation of a new contract with a natural gas company. (Austin Monitor)

OIL & GAS:

• Virginia residents file an appeal with a county’s zoning board to challenge Dominion Energy’s plan to build a natural gas-fired plant at an existing power plant. (WRIC)
• Natural gas spot prices drop below zero in Texas despite soaring demand amid high summer temperatures, with traders blaming planned pipeline maintenance in the Permian Basin. (Reuters)
• A Texas regulator pushes back on allegations the state’s lax oversight of the oil and gas industry’s wastewater disposal is threatening water supplies. (E&E News, subscription)

GRID:

• Virginia regulators approve a $423.5 million Appalachian Power transmission project to build 25 miles of new power lines and upgrade another 48 miles. (Cardinal News)
• A poll shows a majority of Texans say it’s likely the state grid will experience a widespread power failure this summer. (KABB)
• A Georgia county awards $75 million in incentives to lure a ​“hyperscale” Microsoft data center despite concerns about the sector’s growing grid demands. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

COAL: A judge delays a case against an Alabama coal mine while investigators look into a fatal explosion with the intention of amending the lawsuit to add a claim of wrongful death. (Inside Climate News)

CLIMATE: A new study finds rising seas will threaten hundreds of buildings in coastal areas by 2050, with Florida and Louisiana among the six states whose critical infrastructure is most at-risk. (Guardian)

COMMENTARY: The Pentagon’s plan to install rooftop solar demonstrates how far the technology has come in the U.S., notwithstanding Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s stated concern about Chinese components, writes an energy columnist. (Virginia Mercury)