Virginia farmers help cut craft beer’s carbon footprint

CLIMATE: Six southwestern Virginia farmers grow specialty varieties of barley for state craft brewers as part of a regional economic development group’s program to spur off-season agriculture and limit shipping-related carbon emissions. (Energy News Network)

PIPELINES: Mountain Valley Pipeline developers ask federal regulators for another four years to finish construction of the over-budget, long-delayed project. (Roanoke Times)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Low-income and Black residents in Louisiana’s ​“Cancer Alley” are receiving more federal attention for disproportionately bearing the brunt of pollution, but longtime advocates say they’re concerned that may not translate into concrete action. (NOLA.com)

OIL & GAS:
• Shale oil producers increasingly ​“re-frac” their existing wells to spur additional production at a fraction of the cost of drilling new wells. (Reuters)
• A huge shortage in refining capacity in the U.S. has exacerbated high gasoline prices, with a Louisiana refinery’s closure after Hurricane Ida and other refineries’ pandemic shutdowns partially to blame. (NPR)

COAL:
• The U.S. EPA rejects an air pollution permit issued by Alabama regulators to an Alabama Power coal-fired plant, sending it back for revisions and more detailed explanations about how it will comply with environmental laws. (AL.com)
• Records reveal a federal mine safety agency issued 175 citations in West Virginia for unhygienic coal mine conditions that could have contributed to the spread of COVID-19. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• A coal company owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s family agrees to pay $320 million to a Swiss bank to help settle an outstanding $850 million debt. (Charleston Gazette-Mail, Associated Press)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Nissan partners with Tennessee power companies and universities to repurpose used EV batteries for a ​“second life” in a battery energy storage system. (Williamson Source)
• Arkansas is expected to receive $54 million to install electric vehicle chargers every 50 miles along its interstates. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
• Volkswagen aims to hire 1,000 new employees at its Tennessee factory as it gears up to make electric vehicles. (Chattanooga Pulse)

SOLAR: A Virginia county plans changes to its zoning rules and comprehensive plan to accommodate growing interest in solar facilities. (Franklin News-Post)

UTILITIES: Georgia Power seeks a 12% rate hike over the next three years to strengthen its electric grid, add more renewable energy and improve customer service. (Capitol Beat News Service)

TRANSPORTATION: An effort to get seniors to feeding and socialization programs has grown into a full-sized regional public transit system across a largely rural area in southwestern Virginia. (Kingsport Times News)

FINANCE: An Oklahoma county’s clean energy financing program jumpstarts more than $80 million in energy efficiency, renewable and conservation projects that had been stalled for months or years. (The Oklahoman)

COMMENTARY:
• Duke Energy’s new 74.9 MW solar farm in Florida indicates the second-largest power company in the country is shifting from coal and nuclear electric generating plants toward solar, writes an editorial board. (Citrus County Chronicle)
• Three Appalachian women discuss why they became engaged to fight the Mountain Valley Pipeline in a long-running battle that has stretched to eight years. (Appalachian Voices)