Can mountaintop removal mines supercharge solar in Appalachia?

TRANSITION: An energy company’s plan to build an 800 MW solar farm on a 27,000-acre mountaintop removal mine site in Kentucky could become a model to repurpose environmentally disturbed sites in Appalachia for renewables. (Daily Yonder)

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ALSO: Federal investigators will look into Appalachia’s “zombie mines,” where coal production has ceased but which companies say are “active” to avoid reclamation costs. (Inside Climate News)

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GRID:

• Soaring demand, forecasts of a polar vortex and memories of grid struggles during winter storms in recent years create uncertainty about the reliability of Texas’ power grid headed into winter storm season. (Houston Chronicle)
• Texas grid officials say there’s plenty of power to meet energy demand during next week’s anticipated arctic cold front, though experts warn of the potential for record-breaking demand. (Austin American-Statesman)
• Tennessee Valley Authority officials tout the utility’s investments in weatherization and grid reliability since a 2022 cold snap forced it to implement rolling blackouts across the Southeast. (WATE)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Electric vehicle maker Canoo ramps up activity at two Oklahoma plants as it adds jobs and makes the first vehicles in a 1,000-vehicle order by the state. (Daily Journal)
• Tesla promises raises for factory workers this year as the United Auto Workers try to organize unions at its assembly and battery factories in Texas, California and Nevada. (Associated Press)

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SOLAR:

• Texas’ plans to build 38 GW of new solar over the next five years are threatened by concerns about Chinese labor practices and supply chain traceability. (Dallas Morning News)
• A renewables company begins operating a solar farm in Texas. (PV Tech)

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OIL & GAS:

• Chesapeake Energy and Southwestern Energy will merge to form one of the largest natural gas companies in the U.S., with plans to build a liquified natural gas facility in Houston. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
• Texas officials continue to investigate the cause of an explosion at a high-rise hotel in Fort Worth, but one person already has sued the local natural gas provider, and concerns about another potential gas leak led to an emergency call in Dallas. (Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

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CLIMATE:

• Record numbers of Texans have died from heat-related causes for three years running, including at least 334 people in 2023. (Texas Tribune)
• About 100,000 residents in the Miami metro area will see a 35% discount in their flood insurance premiums because of a shift in how federal officials assess flood risk in the area. (Miami Herald)
• Louisiana escaped severe hurricanes for the second year in a row, and avoided the five-day forecast cone throughout the entire season. (NOLA.com)

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UTILITIES: Arkansas power and natural gas utilities respond to state regulators’ questions about their plans to use federal funding for energy efficiency and grid infrastructure projects. (Arkansas Business)

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POLITICS: Activists wielding leaf blowers gather outside the Virginia Capitol to lobby for legislation that would let local governments regulate gas-powered blowers. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

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COMMENTARY: An environmental justice advocate calls for pop star and real estate developer Pharrell Williams to consider the risk of climate gentrification to nearby Black neighborhoods as he moves forward with projects in coastal Virginia. (Daily Press)

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