Three large pipelines proposed for North Carolina

PIPELINES: Developers have proposed three major gas pipelines for central North Carolina, leaving residents with the prospect of increased methane emissions as well as an accident rate that’s 50% higher in disadvantaged neighborhoods than in affluent, predominantly white areas. (NC Newsline)

GRID: A developer and NAACP branch say Dominion Energy’s proposed transmission lines are impeding the donation of land for a planned African American museum and cultural center. (WUSA)

SOLAR: Virginia lawmakers pass legislation to create a new 50 MW community solar program for Appalachian Power and expand Dominion Energy’s current program from 250 MW to 300. (Cardinal News)

COAL:

• Georgia residents who live near a coal-fired power plant hope the U.S. EPA’s letter criticizing Georgia Power’s plan to leave coal ash in an unlined pond prompts better cleanup efforts. (WMAZ)
• West Virginia regulators consider a $37.2 million rate hike for Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power to follow federal rules to maintain three coal-fired power stations in the state. (WV News)
• The Biden administration sets aside $74.2 million to clean up abandoned coal mines in Kentucky in hopes of creating jobs and sparking economic investment in the reclaimed land. (UPI)

BUILDINGS: Florida lawmakers advance legislation to modernize a state program to give homeowners access to funding for storm hardening, energy efficiency, and clean energy improvements. (Florida Politics)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• The United Auto Workers commits $40 million to organize auto and battery plants in the Southeast, including multiple electric vehicle factories planned or under construction in Georgia. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, subscription)
• Owners of Ford electric vehicles will now be able to use Tesla’s charging network, but they need an adapter the automaker will begin shipping later this month. (Associated Press)

CRYPTOCURRENCY: The Biden administration appears to have reached a settlement with crypto miners after the planned collection of energy usage data led to a lawsuit by a Texas nonprofit that represents the industry. (Utility Dive)

CLIMATE:

• Wildfires in Texas’ Panhandle have killed at least two people, injured four firefighters and devastated ranches and homes across the region. (Texas Tribune)
• Researchers find that prolonged droughts exacerbated by climate change could dramatically increase the size of wildfires in southern Appalachia. (Wilkes Journal-Patriot)

OIL & GAS:

• A Texas college adds two new oil and gas programs to accelerate training for compression and automation jobs in the industry. (KWES)
• Carl Icahn’s timely investment in a company with refineries in Oklahoma and Kansas has fueled his investment activism and criticism of a federal mandate to mix biofuels into petrol supplies. (Financial Times)

NUCLEAR: A Texas nuclear facility resumes operations after closing and evacuating workers earlier this week due to a nearby wildfire. (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists)

EMISSIONS: West Virginia lawmakers spike a bill to tax and restrict carbon offset agreements. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

UTILITIES:

• Georgia lawmakers advance legislation to bring back a consumers’ utility council after state regulators approved multiple utility bill increases for Georgia Power. (Georgia Recorder)
• An ongoing criminal investigation into lobbying practices of Ohio power companies is just the latest example of corruption cases in utilities across the U.S., including in Florida and South Carolina. (Floodlight/​Ohio Capital Journal)

COMMENTARY: A journalist mocks Florida lawmakers’ refusal to acknowledge the effects of climate change by attempting to wipe the term from state law and allowing private homeowners to build erosion-accelerating seawalls. (Florida Phoenix)