Texas renewables are booming, but lawmakers want to clamp down

POLITICS: Texas lawmakers file bills to tighten regulation and add new fees on new wind, solar and battery projects that could slow renewables’ rapid growth in the state. (Dallas Morning News)

ALSO: Texas lawmakers consider how to regulate the state’s fast-growing battery storage facilities. (Houston Chronicle)

GRID:

• The Texas Supreme Court considers whether to allow families of those who were killed and injured in power outages during a 2021 winter storm to sue utilities. (KXAS)
• Texas’ grid operator calls for residents to reduce their electricity use ahead of an anticipated spike in demand due to snow and a cold snap forecast for the western part of the state. (Midland Reporter-Telegram)
• The polar vortex and winter storm will test Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities, which was plagued by rolling blackouts and failures at its fossil fuel-burning power plants during a similar event in 2022. (Kentucky Lantern)
• A Texas city receives $5 million to boost energy efficiency and resilience at a U.S. Army base. (KXXV)

OIL & GAS:

• North Carolina regulators approve air permits for Duke Energy’s plans to replace coal-fired units with gas burners at two power plants. (Raleigh News & Observer)
• Williams begins full service of its newly expanded Transco pipeline in North Carolina and Virginia. (Daily Energy Insider)
• South Carolina regulators approve the $470 million expansion of a gas-fired power plant operated by state-owned utility Santee Cooper. (WSPA)
• A gas company announces it’s produced supercooled liquified natural gas at a Texas terminal. (E&E News, subscription)
• A professor discusses a new study finding the carbon footprint of liquified natural gas exports is 33% higher than for coal. (Living on Earth)
• President Biden announces a ban on new oil and gas drilling along the entire Eastern Seaboard, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and other parts of the U.S. coastline. (New York Times)

HYDROGEN: The U.S. Energy Department begins accepting public comment on a proposed Appalachian hydrogen hub in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania that’s faced criticism for its lack of transparency. (Mountain State Spotlight)

STORAGE: A renewable energy developer secures financing for a 200 MW battery storage facility in Texas. (news release)

CLIMATE:

• Residents of a Florida key island question whether to remain after hurricanes Idalia, Helene and Milton wreck businesses, homes and infrastructure three times in 13 months. (Inside Climate News)
• Memphis, Tennessee, announces a new nonprofit will launch a ​“Green Bank” funded with seed money by the Tennessee Valley Authority to support energy efficiency, infrastructure development and more. (The Cool Down)

COMMENTARY:

• Data centers benefit Virginia localities by providing a significant source of tax revenue, but state lawmakers should act to minimize their downsides, writes an editorial board. (Virginian-Pilot)
• West Virginia’s heavy reliance on coal is driving up energy costs and threatening residents’ health, but the incoming attorney general wants to double down on fossil fuels, writes the director of a nonprofit. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)