Massive 645-mile Oklahoma transmission line canceled, official says

GRID: Oklahoma’s incoming state house speaker tells a crowd the U.S. Energy Department has agreed to cancel the designation of a corridor across the state for a planned 645-mile transmission line due to widespread opposition from the community and elected officials. (KOSU, KOTV)

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WIND: Texas shrimpers say they’re frustrated after a community meeting about a planned offshore wind farm ended less than five minutes after it began when the company representative left the room without answering questions. (KBMT)

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SOLAR: A study finds nearly 30,000 Floridians installed solar panels in 2024 despite utility and political pushback against net metering, and that Florida could be on track to become the top-ranked residential solar state by 2028. (WUSF)

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NUCLEAR: The U.S. Energy Department sets a ceiling of $3.4 billion over the next decade to spend on six companies in Tennessee to develop low-enriched uranium for nuclear reactors. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

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STORAGE: A Texas energy storage company partners with a national homebuilder to add batteries to houses in 15 communities in the state. (San Antonio Express-News)

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OIL & GAS:

• A Houston city council member criticizes the city’s involvement in a “chemical recycling” project with Exxon Mobil, which she says perpetuates fossil fuel extraction and leads to dangerous pollution. (Inside Climate News)
• New forecasts show an increase in gas demand and a lack of pipeline capacity is likely to drive up natural gas prices, which could undercut President-elect Trump’s promise to cut energy prices. (E&E News)

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OVERSIGHT:

• Federal officials warn Alabama officials they need to better monitor a coal mine’s methane emissions after a March explosion atop the mine that killed a resident and injured his grandson. (Inside Climate News)
• Alabama environmentalists criticize the state’s energy regulatory board for rejecting their attempt to gain access to a case involving what Alabama Power charges customers for fuel costs. (AL.com, Inside Climate News)

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PIPELINES: A September vehicle crash that resulted in a natural gas pipeline explosion raises awareness about the danger of above-ground gas transmission pipelines and their vulnerability to collisions. (Houston Landing)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Texas community colleges and trade schools see a growing number of students enroll in programs to learn to work with electric vehicles. (Texas Standard)
• A Virginia school district receives U.S. EPA funding to purchase 10 electric school buses. (WWBT)

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POLITICS: Louisiana Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy cultivates support for a bill to impose a carbon tariff on imported aluminum, cement, glass, iron, fertilizer and steel — but not foreign fossil fuels. (E&E News)

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CLIMATE:

• Louisiana developers, researchers and government officials move to strengthen homes and other buildings to prevent skyrocketing premiums and the withdrawal of insurance companies due to climate change and increasingly extreme storms. (NOLA.com)
• Austin, Texas’ city council approves a plan to meet rising energy needs while shifting to 100% carbon-free energy by 2035. (KXAN)

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COMMENTARY:

• Duke Energy should move quickly to take advantage of momentum to build an offshore wind farm near North Carolina, writes the president of the Southeastern Wind Coalition. (WRAL)
• Kentucky regulators should reject a proposed 400-acre solar farm because it’s located on land designated as “prime” farmland, writes a former state commission member. (Lexington Herald-Leader)

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