Texas grids holds, but ice still cuts power to thousands

GRID: While downed trees caused by an ice storm cut power to more than 300,000 Texans yesterday, the state’s electric grid has so far performed as expected. (KHOU, ABC News)

ALSO: A former Texas regulator says burying power lines in the state would be prohibitively expensive. (KXAN)

POLITICS:
• In the latest culture-war volley over electrification, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposes a tax exemption for gas stoves, despite his state having the lowest rate of gas stove adoption in the country. (Florida Politics)
• A Virginia lawmaker says Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s rejection of a Ford battery plant is part of ​“some kind of China-bashing contest” with other potential presidential contenders. (The Hill)

UTILITIES: Duke Energy is seeking to expand two programs offering renewable energy offsets to commercial and residential customers. (Carolina Journal)

CLIMATE:
• Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards releases an annual progress report on the state’s Climate Action Plan. (news release)
• Virginia is now accepting public comments on Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposal to remove the state from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. (WVEC)

OVERSIGHT: A company planning an oilfield waste dump in East Texas has made more than $50,000 in political contributions to state regulators overseeing the application. (Inside Climate News)

NATURAL GAS: West Virginia’s Senate passes a bill that would encourage more natural gas generation. (WV Public Broadcasting)

COAL: Interfaith groups urge an Alabama coal company to settle an ongoing strike with workers, believed to be the longest in state history. (AL.com)

SOLAR: Developers propose a 50 MW solar farm atop a former titanium mine in Virginia. (Amherst New Era-Progress)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A Korean supplier of auto body parts seeks to build a $76 million facility near a future Hyundai electric vehicle plant in Georgia. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality will hold two virtual events seeking public input on Gov. Roy Cooper’s plan to require more zero-emission trucks. (Coastal Review)

CARBON CAPTURE: An Arkansas lithium-processing facility announces the launch of a carbon-capture pilot project. (news release)

COMMENTARY:
• A former oil industry consultant explores how solar power is co-existing with a sheep ranch in Texas. (Forbes)
• A climate advocate says outages during December winter storms ​“disprove the stubborn myth that natural gas and coal are our most reliable sources of power.” (Bloomberg)
• A Texas advocate says that while there are ​“no plans to rip out gas stoves from anyone’s kitchen,” people should take the health risks from gas appliances seriously. (Austin American-Statesman)
• An environmental group says a shakeup on Louisiana’s Public Service Commission ​“could bring real change” in a state that has long been a laggard on clean energy. (Environmental Defense Fund)