Virginia governor’s RGGI pullout would threaten key efficiency program

EFFICIENCY: A Virginia home weatherization program that has been hailed as a national model will lose its funding if Gov. Glenn Youngkin succeeds in removing the state from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. (Energy News Network)

CLIMATE:
• Federal data shows Duke Energy’s substations leak more of a potent greenhouse gas than those of any other U.S. utility, and the company has declined to participate in a voluntary EPA program to reduce those emissions. (Inside Climate News)
• A historic Black community in North Carolina is ​“caught between rebuilding and retreating” as it is increasingly battered by floods as climate change accelerates severe weather events. (Grist)

PIPELINES: West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is expected to release his energy permitting reform measure today, as he decries ​“revenge politics” that threaten the plan. (Reuters, E&E News)

BIOMASS: Strained energy markets caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are creating a windfall for a wood pellet company that operates across the Southeast. (Forbes)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signs a bill creating business development districts that will enable companies to share energy from renewable-powered microgrids. (Huntington Herald-Dispatch)
• Despite the growth of clean energy in the state, Gov. Justice says notions of abandoning fossil fuels are ​“frivolous thoughts.” (WOWK)

SOLAR: Neighbors of a proposed 216 MW solar project in rural Texas are pushing local school district officials to reject tax breaks for the developers. (KXAN)

UTILITIES:
• North Carolina regulators hear arguments about Duke Energy’s plans to merge its utilities in the Carolinas to meet climate targets. (Charlotte Business Journal, subscription)
• Advocates in Virginia say the state’s utilities should do more to shield ratepayers from volatile fuel costs. (WAVY)
• A Florida utility is paying operators of popular Instagram accounts to promote its electric vehicle charging efforts. (Miami New Times)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Electric vehicle market share in the Southeast has doubled from last year, though the region still trails other parts of the country. (Electrek)
• Construction at a $6 billion Kentucky battery plant is expected to begin later this year. (WHAS)
• A November summit in Tennessee will address equity issues and misperceptions about electric vehicles. (WBIR)

TRANSITION: Industry leaders report a surge in tourism spending in West Virginia, a sector that many hope will help offset economic losses from coal’s decline. (Coal Valley News, Energy News Network archive)

COMMENTARY:
• An environmental writer challenges the practice of clearing forests and farmland for large-scale solar farms in Virginia. (New York Times)
• Arkansas high school students raise attention to a utility executive serving as an adviser to a school district on a proposed solar plan despite his company’s plan to also bid on the project. (Arkansas Times)