States say federal laws are slowing cleanup of oil & gas wells

OIL & GAS: Officials in oil and gas drilling states say complying with federal endangered species and historic preservation rules is slowing the cleanup of abandoned oil and gas wells. (Grist)

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ALSO:

• The Biden administration appeals a judge’s injunction against its pause on permitting new liquified natural gas export facilities. (Utility Dive)
• U.S. oil producers set a new record for crude production last week, undercutting Donald Trump’s criticism of the Biden administration for trying to “get rid of oil.” (Politico)
• A rubber company announces it will invest $50 million to build a natural gas-fired boiler to replace coal power in Kentucky. (WDRB)

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SOLAR:

• The U.S. Energy Department commits to loan up to $1.45 billion to solar manufacturer Qcells to build out its Georgia factory. (PV Magazine)
• A Georgia community awaits a new solar proposal after a planning board delayed its vote over problems with the developer’s application. (WMAZ)
• A Kentucky solar installer discusses the state’s slow shift to solar, battery and nuclear power. (WEKU)

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UTILITIES:

• Lawyers scrutinizing CenterPoint Energy’s purchase of large generators that went unused during outages after Hurricane Beryl question whether the purchase came about due to a personal relationship between the utility’s then-CEO and an official at the generator company. (Texas Monthly)
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he’ll make an example of CenterPoint Energy by forcing it to reform its storm response procedures after its lackluster response to Hurricane Beryl. (KTBC)

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STORAGE:

• Virginia is receiving millions in federal infrastructure funding to finance battery storage at a data center. (Virginia Public Radio)
• A developer sees solar installations fall but storage business spike after it shifts to a “storage-first” strategy and announces a partnership with Tesla to shore up the Texas state grid. (Utility Dive)

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PIPELINES: Crews rush to install erosion control devices and prepare still exposed portions of the Mountain Valley Pipeline for heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby. (Roanoke Times)

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NUCLEAR: Nuclear power is responsible for the largest share of power generation in Southeast states with the least reliance on fossil fuels. (Canary Media)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: West Virginia lags most states in electric vehicle infrastructure, with additional delays in the transportation department’s search for a vendor to build charging stations. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

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GRID: West Virginia residents and businesses are concerned about Appalachian Power’s plan to upgrade transmission lines near a war memorial and popular trail system. (WSAZ)

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OVERSIGHT: An Austin, Texas, board proposes bylaw changes to enable it to advise the city council on natural gas, citing recent price increases as a concern. (Daily Texan)

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CLIMATE: Climate change is making wildfires in West Virginia more dangerous, but the state agency charged with managing them has been hobbled by budget cuts. (Mountain State Spotlight)

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COMMENTARY:

• The rapid growth of data centers for artificial intelligence are consuming a disproportionate amount of power and raising power rates for local residents with few discernable benefits, write a policy analyst and North Carolina conservationist. (Energy News Network)
• Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s moves to withdraw the state from a regional carbon market and to decouple its vehicle emissions standards from California blatantly ignore state legislation that had been passed and signed into law, writes a state lawmaker. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

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