Tennessee gears up to regulate dwindling coal industry

COAL: Tennessee prepares to take over regulation and permitting of coal mining after 37 years of the federal government handling the process, a shift supporters say will open new investments but opponents counter will cost $1 million annually to prop up a ​“collapsing” industry. (Tennessee Lookout)

ALSO:
• A producer of high-quality coke for blast furnace steel production announces it will invest $50 million in its southwestern Virginia manufacturing operation. (Virginia Business)
• A West Virginia lawmaker lobbies to keep a coal-fired plant open in his district, saying an upgrade to keep it going until 2040 instead of closing in 2028 would cost ratepayers only ​“pennies on our electric bill.” (WV Metro News)

EFFICIENCY: A rules review panel rejects proposed changes to North Carolina’s energy conservation code that would have let developers bypass minimum efficiency standards if they adhered to a voluntary suite of green building guidelines. (Energy News Network)

UTILITIES: North Carolina environmental groups buy television ads pressing state lawmakers to require Duke Energy retire coal-fired power plants and accelerate solar and wind power construction, while a Duke-backed group runs social media ads attacking a bill to study energy market reforms. (Blue Ridge Public Radio)

SOLAR:
• Dozens of Kentucky residents speak against a proposed ordinance to standardize solar farm regulations because they say they’re worried the changes would result in more development on farmland. (WKYT)
• A Texas school board studies the effects of awarding tax breaks for a proposed solar farm, which a consultant says won’t affect the district’s tax revenue. (Austin American-Statesman)
• A solar company and the Nature Conservancy move forward with a pilot project to turn former central Appalachian coal mines into six solar energy plants. (WVTF)

COAL ASH: South Carolina Supreme Court justices question lawyers about whether a landfill operator tried to install a liner as a step toward accepting coal ash, which would require significant public hearings and notifications. (Greenville News)

INFRASTRUCTURE: A West Virginia coalition lobbies for passage of President Joe Biden’s federal infrastructure bill to attract billions of federal dollars to aid the state in its transition to a low-carbon economy. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

BIOMASS: A wood pellet maker shifts its focus to a pilot project in Maine after state regulators indefinitely delay its plans to produce pellets in North Carolina. (NC Policy Watch)

OIL & GAS:
• The Jacksonville city council approves a Texas company’s request for a one-year delay in its plans to build a $542 million liquefied natural gas export facility. (Jacksonville Daily Record)
• A Texas energy developer hires contractor Bechtel to design a multibillion-dollar natural-gas-to-gasoline manufacturing facility in the Permian Basin. (Engineering News-Record)
• A Louisiana natural gas well explodes, injuring four, following an oil well blowout. (The Advocate)

COMMENTARY:
• A Virginia lawmaker argues that the Mountain Valley Pipeline should be canceled after construction devastated waterways and land, saying natural gas infrastructure is overbuilt and demand is in decline. (Roanoke Times)
• A Texas geologist argues for construction of more pipelines to boost the country’s energy independence, ensure safe transportation of oil-based fuels and stabilize prices. (Dallas Morning News)