Texas explosion reveals stakes in abandoned well cleanup

OIL & GAS: Last year’s explosion of an abandoned oil and gas well on a Texas ranch stands as an example of state regulators’ uneven approach toward cleaning up thousands of similar abandoned wells across the state. (Inside Climate News/​Texas Tribune)

ALSO: A Texas city council votes to allow a company to drill four new oil and gas wells despite residents’ complaints about loud noise and pollution from fracking activity. (Fort Worth Report)

GRID: The CEO of Texas’ grid operator questions the economics of a congressional bill requiring the standalone grid to interconnect with other U.S. power grids. (Houston Chronicle)

FINANCE: BlackRock is among the financial institutions that West Virginia has blacklisted because it was accused of being unfriendly to fossil fuels, even though it’s helping to bankroll the Mountain Valley Pipeline. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

SOLAR:

• The sponsor of a Virginia bill to restrict localities’ ability to limit solar projects says he’ll reintroduce it next year after a subcommittee votes to delay consideration until 2025. (Virginia Mercury)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority unveils five ​“solar flowers” consisting of 12 solar panels each that it has installed on a Tennessee dam. (WDEF)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Virginia lawmakers advance legislation to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure by financially assisting developers to build in certain rural areas. (Virginia Business)

EMISSIONS:

• ExxonMobil sues investor groups it says are trying to abuse its shareholder system by repeatedly filing proposals to force it to slash its climate emissions. (NPR)
• In North Carolina, the U.S. EPA announces a $3 billion program to boost air quality around ports. (Coastal Review)
• The Sierra Club files an amicus brief to intervene in cryptocurrency operators’ legal challenge of a federal agency for attempting to survey energy use by the industry, which in Texas accounts for as much power demand as the city of Austin. (news release)

STORAGE:

• Two companies plan to invest $60 million to build a North Carolina factory to make parts for vehicle batteries. (Business North Carolina)
• Officials celebrate the completion of a microgrid at a U.S. Army base in Texas that can power at least 14 days of operational capability even if the rest of the state loses power. (Fort Cavazos Sentinel)

CLEAN ENERGY: A Biden administration official meets with business leaders in North Carolina to discuss public and private efforts to develop the clean energy economy. (WRAL)

CLIMATE:

• Heat, high winds and drought lead to dozens of wildfires across Texas and Oklahoma, as crews seek to contain the fires before winds and temperatures are expected to increase this weekend. (Texas Tribune, Oklahoman, Associated Press)
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposes considering infrastructure projects’ social and environmental benefits when determining whether to fund them. (Virginia Mercury)

HYDROGEN: West Virginia U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin advocates for companies who drill for geologic hydrogen at a committee hearing. (E&E News, subscription)

UTILITIES:

• Georgia lawmakers advance legislation to require Georgia Power to disclose more information about fuel costs on monthly customer bills. (Georgia Recorder)
• American Electric Power dumps its CEO a little more than a year after she was hired due to several unfavorable regulatory decisions. (Utility Dive)