Mississippi Republicans embrace EV plant that Trump warns against

POLITICS: Mississippi Republicans rush to embrace an electric vehicle factory near the Tennessee state line that’s the single largest payroll commitment in state history, but which was made possible by federal legislation they opposed and which Donald Trump has promised to roll back. (Mississippi Today)

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ALSO:

• Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and other state officials rally behind a petrochemical plant that could be shut down by a pending U.S. EPA rule to lower the amount of toxic chloroprene and ethylene oxide it emits. (Louisiana Illuminator)
• “What a great investment.” Republican U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito tours an iron-air battery factory under construction in West Virginia. (State Journal)
• Both of the candidates in the race for West Virginia governor support coal in a state that still gets up to 90% of its power from the fossil fuel that’s waning elsewhere. (Inside Climate News)

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OIL & GAS: Dominion Energy pushes to build a natural gas-fired power plant in Virginia that’s generating resistance from local residents as the state seeks to meet both its clean energy goals and growing power demand. (Virginia Mercury)

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SOLAR:

• A Florida city commission approves changes to its planning and zoning to regulate and encourage development of solar energy facilities in industrial areas. (Herald-Tribune)
• An energy company and electric cooperative will hold an informational meeting today on their proposals to build two solar farms in a Kentucky county. (WEKU)
• An energy company signs a $103 million tax credit agreement with Bank of America for an Oklahoma solar project that will supply a municipal power authority. (PV Magazine)

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EMISSIONS: A U.S. Army fort in Georgia signs an agreement with Georgia Power to replace its diesel energy system with natural gas and make other improvements to its mechanical and lighting systems to reduce its carbon footprint. (Augusta Chronicle)

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CLIMATE:

• As Hurricane Beryl hits the Texas coast, a rapid attribution study finds climate change caused by fossil fuels made the tropical storm’s wind and rain 10 to 30% more intense. (Associated Press, Inside Climate News)
• Skyrocketing insurance premiums fueled by climate change are pushing home ownership out of reach for many Louisianans, complicating the housing market in a region that already lags much of the U.S. (NOLA.com)
• Advocates push for conservation and sustainable forestry as a way to protect historic Black neighborhoods in South Carolina against both climate change and rapacious waterfront development. (Inside Climate News)
• Austin, Texas’ city council discusses the timing of a voter referendum on a proposed climate bond to fund initiatives to help the city achieve its climate goals. (KXAN)
• A Florida tech hub receives an initial $19.5 million in federal funding to develop climate solutions. (Florida Politics)

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NUCLEAR: A Virginia company partners with NASA to develop fuel and components for nuclear-powered spaceships that could replace traditional chemical rockets. (Cardinal News)

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COMMENTARY:

• Duke Energy and Tampa Electric are pushing for rate increases to keep up with Florida Power & Light’s cushy profit margin in what’s become an “informal arms race” among Florida’s private utilities, writes an energy columnist. (Florida Times-Union)
• A departing member of a Louisiana regulatory board questions whether the utility model of financing new projects by billing customers will need to shift to accommodate changing energy technology. (NOLA.com)

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