Virginia adopts data center tax but no new energy rules

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Southeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

DATA CENTERS

• Virginia lawmakers resolve their budget impasse with a compromise that imposes a new $600 million electricity-use tax on data centers, but does nothing to reduce their emissions or require them to build their own carbon-free power sources. (Canary Media)

• Texas regulators approve new rules for the state’s grid operator to process large load interconnection requests, which total more than 438 GW with nearly 90% of that queue consisting of data centers. (Utility Dive)

• Chevron announces it will build a 2.7-GW gas-fired power plant to be co-located with a Microsoft data center in Texas and potentially use oilfield wastewater as a water source. (Houston Chronicle)

• Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry urges state regulators to prevent Entergy from hiking rates to pay for its acquisition of a Texas power plant to help power a Meta data center. (New Orleans City Business)

• West Virginia officials spat with a data center developer over whether it will require state certification to advance its plan to build a data center campus and 785-MW gas-fired power plant. (WV Metro News)

• Three Florida counties advance moratoriums on data centers to allow more time to research and draft regulations on the facilities. (Florida Politics)

UTILITIES

• Duke Energy and other utilities are backing away from their emissions reduction commitments under the Trump administration, but long-range planning documents reveal they’re still preparing for future administrations that may restore climate regulations and force coal plant closures. (E&E News)

• The Tennessee Valley Authority floats a new long-range plan that relies on coal through 2039 and could more than double its use of gas-fired power plants. (Chattanooga Times Free Press, Chattanooga Times Free Press)

• Two candidates for Florida governor spar over the idea of capping electric utilities’ return on investment to the national average that currently sits around 9.7%. (Florida Phoenix)

SOLAR

• A Virginia county rejects permits for a 2-MW community solar farm, while another solar developer withdraws its application after the planning commission voted against it. (Roanoke Times)

• Environmental groups challenge the North Carolina Utilities Commission’s order for Duke Energy to pause solar and battery energy projects until the commission approves Duke’s long-term plan. (WSOC)

EMISSIONS

• A Memphis, Tennessee-area health department questions the integrity of data from a community air monitoring report that shows residents are being exposed to unhealthy air pollution. (Tennessee Lookout)

PIPELINES

• Kentucky residents organize against Texas Gas’ plan to build a 265-mile pipeline through Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio, including through a site connected to a potential grave for Black soldiers who fought for the Union in the Civil War. (WAVE, WHAS)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry says ExxonMobil has reached a final settlement with parishes that sued the oil company for allegedly polluting the coastline and accelerating land loss, but the terms are likely to remain secret. (The Advocate)

MINING

• The Trump administration issues a request for information and interest in mining the seabed along Virginia’s Eastern Shore for critical minerals to be used for manufacturing, defense, and emerging technologies. (Virginian-Pilot)

COMMENTARY

• President Donald Trump’s push to prop up coal-fired power plants and throttle renewables is not significantly helping the coal industry but is increasing energy prices in Virginia, writes a columnist. (Virginia Mercury)