West Virginia governor vetoes solar bill

SOLAR: West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice vetoes a bill that would have extended electric utilities’ ability to buy or build solar projects beyond 2025, calling the legislation a threat to the state’s coal industry. (Dominion Post)

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ALSO:

• Louisville, Kentucky’s mayor announces a program offering discounted solar installations for area residents and small businesses. (Louisville Public Media)
• At a packed public meeting, rural Virginia residents express fears and sadness about living near a proposed solar project, which local officials say could provide an important source of revenue for the shrinking county. (WTVR)
• Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina are among the states awarded $2 million federal grants this week to fund efforts to improve planning, siting, and permitting for large-scale renewable energy facilities. (news release)
• Duke Energy Progress seeks permission from South Carolina regulators to build a 76 MW solar project next to an existing nuclear power plant. (Daily Energy Insider)

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STORAGE: A company seeking to build pumped-hydro energy storage on old coal mining sites received $81 million in federal funding last week to develop a project in Kentucky that could deliver 287 MW of power for up to 8 hours. (Canary Media)

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OFFSHORE WIND: A coalition led by a climate-denial think tank files a lawsuit seeking to stop construction of a Virginia offshore wind project, under the guise of protecting endangered whales. (Public Radio East)

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OIL & GAS:

• U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s reception at a Houston energy conference last week highlighted the gulf between the Biden administration and the oil and gas industry on liquified natural gas exports. (Inside Climate Change)
• At a regional energy conference, Texas oil and gas leaders fret about the lack of young people interested in pursuing careers in the industry. (KLTV)

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PIPELINES: Virginia regulators fine the Mountain Valley Pipeline $34,000 for another round of environmental violations, including damaging a wetland and dumping blast debris into a stream. (Roanoke Times)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A company that supplies electric vehicle batteries to BMW announces it will invest an additional $1.5 billion into a planned South Carolina factory and create an additional 1,080 jobs. (The State)
• An auto repair franchise opens its first-ever electric vehicle service center in South Carolina to serve a growing number of drivers in the region with hybrid or plug-in vehicles. (Spectrum News 1)
• A company shows off a solar-powered, unmanned airplane that it’s been testing in southern Mississippi and says will eventually be able to fly continuously for 90 days or longer using only energy from the sun. (NOLA.com)

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NUCLEAR: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants to explore the potential of small nuclear reactors to provide on-demand power to the state’s grid. (Texas Tribune)

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COAL:

• A Kentucky bill headed to the governor’s desk would create a state commission to oversee coal plant closures, adding a layer of oversight that opponents say is designed to make it harder to retire coal plants. (Daily Energy Insider)
• At an annual West Virginia coal mining conference, officials say the industry has a future even if coal is no longer used for generating electricity. (MetroNews)

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COMMENTARY: A former South Carolina utility regulator says he resigned this month to speak out about pending legislation that would drastically change oversight of investor-owned utilities by green-lighting a proposed natural gas plant despite many unanswered questions. (Post and Courier)

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