Virginia’s governor moves to cancel EV mandate

TRANSPORTATION: Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declares the state will no longer tie its vehicle emissions standards to California’s more restrictive rules — which phase out the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035 — but critics argue he doesn’t have the authority to unilaterally roll back a law passed by the Democratic legislature in 2021. (Washington Post)

‍

ALSO: The small city of Charlottesville, Virginia, moves to grow its bus fleet over the next decade and phase out diesel buses entirely by 2040, matching much larger cities in its commitment to an emissions-free transit system. (Energy News Network)

‍

UTILITIES: As Alabama courts more companies that want to power their operations with renewables, Alabama Power looks for ways to incorporate more clean energy into its portfolio. (Lagniappe)

‍

EMISSIONS: Dominion Energy asks Virginia regulators to remove a monthly fee from its bills for participation in a regional carbon market from which the state has withdrawn. (Virginia Mercury)

‍

WIND: Dominion Energy meets with residents of a Virginia community about construction of a facility to bring power onshore from its planned offshore wind farm. (WTKR)

‍

HYDROPOWER: An Alabama-based company plans an expansion in Knoxville, Tennessee, after acquiring a firm that makes water-powered generators. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

‍

PIPELINES:

• Virginia landowners along the Mountain Valley Pipeline call on Virginia regulators to apply restoration standards used in West Virginia to crack down on erosion problems. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
• The Mountain Valley Pipeline sues protestors that blocked access to its construction sites. (Bloomberg, subscription)
• Opponents begin to organize against a proposed 690-mile pipeline from the Permian Basin in Texas to liquified natural gas terminals in Louisiana. (KPLC)

‍

COAL ASH: Testing at a growing North Carolina sinkhole where coal ash is used as filler material indicates it hasn’t contaminated a town’s drinking water, but concerns remain. (WFAE)

‍

OIL & GAS:

• Competing environmental and industry groups race to shape the climate and economic analysis used by federal regulators to determine whether to award permits for new liquified natural gas export terminals. (DeSmog)
• North Carolina regulators hold hearings on Duke Energy’s plan to build new natural gas-fired units at a combination-coal-and-gas plant. (WFAE)
• Entergy asks Texas regulators for approval to build two natural gas-fired plants, including one with potential to add carbon capture technology. (Power Technology)
• A judge largely upholds a lower court’s ruling dismissing a suit against a Texas city over its approval of a company’s proposal to drill two new gas wells, but overturns its decision to dismiss claims that the city violated a state open meetings act. (Fort Worth Report)

‍

CLEAN ENERGY: A North Carolina bill would provide a new financing mechanism for commercial property improvements such as solar installations and energy efficiency upgrades, but the state treasurer argues the program is unconstitutional. (Port City Daily)

‍

CLIMATE: U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse says Florida’s insurance industry appears to be “swirling the drain” as insurers dramatically increase premiums or pull out of the state altogether because of its climate risks. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

‍

COMMENTARY: West Virginia policymakers’ insistence on keeping the state reliant on coal while dismissing renewables and energy efficiency programs is driving electric rates higher, writes an environmentalist. (West Virginia Watch)

‍