Can a long-troubled WV coal plant be revamped to make hydrogen?

CORRECTION: Alabama Power has not promised to line coal ash pits as part of an EPA settlement, an item in Thursday’s newsletter incorrectly stated that it had.

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TRANSITION: West Virginia officials embrace a plan to convert a long-troubled coal plant into a coal-powered facility to produce hydrogen and graphite, but the project has stalled as the company running it juggles multiple projects and a history of loan defaults. (Floodlight/Mountain State Spotlight)

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EMISSIONS: “It’s all smoke and mirrors:” Former Texas employees blow the whistle on the state’s pollution monitoring team, which analysis finds has been systematically weakened dating back to the early fracking boom in 2010. (Inside Climate News)

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HELENE:

• Only a small fraction of Tennessee residents have flood insurance, which could complicate cleanup and recovery from widespread flooding during Hurricane Helene. (Knoxville News Sentinel)
• Local, state and federal officials determine Hurricane Helene damaged or destroyed 519 homes and 83 businesses in Virginia. (Cardinal News)

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GRID: Federal officials offer up to $360 million to support a $2.6 billion project to link Texas’ standalone grid with a high-voltage transmission line running 320 miles from Mississippi through Louisiana to Texas. (Houston Chronicle)

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WORKFORCE: Virginia industry leaders call for the state to support more workforce programs to train workers to fill shortages of electricians, mechanics and technicians, as well as for the emerging electric vehicle industry. (Virginia Mercury)

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PIPELINES: Federal regulators tell a court they have good reason to grant the Mountain Valley Pipeline three more years to complete an extension into North Carolina, since they were waiting for the project to receive federal permits for its main line. (Bloomberg, subscription)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: West Virginia residents increasingly consider switching to electric vehicles because of a wave of new all-terrain vehicles and a program that lets them test drive four different models. (WV News)

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OIL & GAS: A Congress member says Texas oil companies that withdrew from Russia because of U.S. sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine are now being targeted for breach-of-contract lawsuits. (Houston Chronicle)

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COAL:

• West Virginia residents express concern about the effects of nearby coal mining and coalbed methane extraction on a state park. (Charleston Gazette-Mail, subscription)
• A West Virginia lawmaker and former miner discusses how mechanization and the shift away from coal to produce power has diminished the prospect of long-term employment for miners. (WV News)

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POLITICS:

• Damage by Hurricane Helene in Georgia and North Carolina — both hard-fought swing states — could influence the presidential election with just weeks to go. (E&E News)
• “Nobody get distracted by that question:” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin provides updates on the state’s recovery from Hurricane Helene but avoids a question about climate change. (Virginia Mercury)

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COMMENTARY:

• Driven largely by Donald Trump and the Republican candidate for North Carolina governor, disinformation and outright lies about the federal response to Hurricane Helene have run rampant on social media, writes an editorial board. (Greensboro News & Record)
• The widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Helene should spur North Carolina officials to push back against the home-building industry to improve building codes and channel development away from flood risks across the state, writes an opinion editor. (Raleigh News & Observer)

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