Texas lawsuit points to “colossal liability” over capped oil wells

OIL & GAS: A Texas lawsuit alleging Chevron and other oil companies failed to properly plug oil wells raises the question of a “colossal liability” that could fall to companies or taxpayers. (Inside Climate News)

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ALSO:

• Some of Oklahoma’s biggest oil companies are opting out of a voluntary levy to fund oil and gas well restoration, withholding contributions that could have paid for cleanup of 1,500 wells, an analysis finds. (Capital & Main/ProPublica)
• North Carolina residents fight Dominion Energy’s plans to build a liquified natural gas storage facility. (WUNC)
• A Texas fund to incentivize construction of gas-fired power plants receives 72 applications for more than 38 GW of new projects, enough to exhaust the fund’s $5 billion first cycle. (Houston Chronicle)

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GRID:

• Tropical Storm Debby knocks out power for thousands of customers and is blamed for killing at least five people in Florida and Georgia. (Associated Press)
• Texas grid officials forecast record-breaking power demand with the arrival of triple-digit temperatures this week, but predict supply should exceed demand for now. (Houston Chronicle)
• Texas officials consider following the examples of Florida and California to force grid improvements after lengthy, widespread outages in Houston that followed Hurricane Beryl. (Houston Chronicle)

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SOLAR: A Tennessee public housing authority installs solar panels on a property to house a community of veterans at risk of being homeless. (WBIR)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Oklahoma transportation officials collect public input on the state’s draft plan to build electric vehicle chargers and other infrastructure. (KSWO)

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PIPELINES: Opponents of the Mountain Valley Pipeline praise a provision in federal legislation to create a national office of public engagement to better communicate details about the transport of natural gas. (WFDD)

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UTILITIES:

• A federal appeals court overturns a lower court’s decision and revives an antitrust lawsuit by a Florida-based utility accusing Duke Energy of monopolizing the wholesale power market in North Carolina. (Carolina Journal, Reuters)
• CenterPoint Energy withdraws its requests for a rate increase and its planned $2.7 billion grid resiliency plan after criticism of its response to Hurricane Beryl. (Houston Chronicle)

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CLIMATE:

• Heat-related deaths during the power outages in Houston that followed Hurricane Beryl put a spotlight on the need for air conditioning, and a wave of new state laws prohibiting utilities from disconnecting customers for non-payment during heat waves. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)
• Virginia unveils new draft septic regulations to account for more intense rainfall and rising sea and groundwater levels driven by climate change. (Virginia Mercury)

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COMMENTARY:

• The cancellation of a planned battery plant showcases Virginia’s failure to secure a place in the “battery belt” of new factories emerging across the Southeast, writes an editor. (Cardinal News)
• An environmental activist and self-proclaimed “hillbilly” discusses the devastation of West Virginia’s mountains and exploitation of its residents by the coal industry. (Daily Yonder)

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