Duke argues N.C. carbon goal is “unachievable” as it defends gas plans

UTILITIES: As Duke Energy prepares to face North Carolina regulators and defend its plan to invest in 9 GW of natural gas plants and delay meeting an emissions reduction mandate, it makes small concessions in a proposed settlement and wins support from the state’s ratepayer advocate. (Energy News Network)

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ALSO:

• A group of Houston restaurants files a $100 million class action lawsuit against CenterPoint Energy after they lost power during Hurricane Beryl, alleging the utility didn’t adequately maintain its grid infrastructure. (Dallas Morning News)
• A Virginia county denies an appeal to overturn a county administrator’s determination that Dominion Energy’s plan to build a gas-fired power plant at an old coal plant complies with local zoning. (Virginia Mercury)

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COAL ASH: Environmental groups press the U.S. EPA to take control of Georgia’s coal ash program from state regulators because they’ve allowed utilities to keep unlined coal ash ponds where the waste is in contact with groundwater. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Recorder)

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SOLAR: Texas saw a spike in the number of homes adding small-scale solar facilities even before Hurricane Beryl, which caused widespread outages that could encourage more state residents to add solar installations. (Inside Climate News)

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GRID:

• An analysis shows that between 2000 and 2023 Texas had more weather-related power outages than any other state, which experts attribute to a grid that’s woefully underprepared for severe weather — and which will cost state residents to fix. (Texas Tribune)
• South Carolina residents call for new laws to block Duke Energy’s use of eminent domain to build a transmission project. (WHNS)

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CLIMATE:

• Texas officials raise Hurricane Beryl’s official death toll from 13 to 18 people, including six who died from heat exposure during power outages after the storm passed. (Houston Chronicle)
• An effort to preserve archaeological sites at Historic Jamestowne in Virginia against flooding from rising seas will receive a $300,000 grant. (Daily Press)
• A large plume of dust from the Sahara is moving toward Florida and will affect weather patterns this weekend. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

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OVERSIGHT: Louisiana and Mississippi commissions sue federal regulators over an order that sets requirements for long-term electric grid planning, one of the first challenges to a federal agency since the U.S. Supreme Court opened up ambiguous agency decisions to legal challenges. (E&E News)

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EMISSIONS: The U.S. EPA will evaluate air quality at two national parks in Texas as part of a settlement in a lawsuit by environmentalists. (Marfa Public Radio)

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STORAGE: An energy company closes on financing for three standalone utility-scale battery energy storage projects in Texas that will be built near solar farms. (Utility Dive)

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POLITICS: An official from Kentucky’s attorney general disputes the science behind climate change in testimony to state lawmakers, arguing against U.S. EPA rules that require coal- and new natural gas-burning power plants to capture 90% of carbon emissions. (Kentucky Lantern)

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COMMENTARY: West Virginia should embrace wind, solar and electric vehicle industries to add clean energy-related jobs and attract new residents, writes a conservationist. (State Journal)

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