Discover the Latest News and Initiatives for a Sustainable Future

OVERSIGHT: A new Virginia commission to provide state lawmakers more guidance on increasingly complicated utility and energy bills could give new life to stalled proposals to restrict utilities’ spending and introduce more competition for wind and solar. (Energy News Network)

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TRANSITION:

• The sight of wind farms and other renewables in West Virginia coal country still stir emotions in residents who grew up grounded in coal culture and are uncomfortable with the clean energy transition. (NPR)
• Research shows local opposition to wind and solar projects is the leading cause for delays and cancellation, despite a national poll showing bipartisan majorities support the construction of more renewables. (Inside Climate News)

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STORAGE: Texas looks set to outpace California in construction of new battery storage facilities, just one year after it surpassed California in large-scale solar power capacity. (Canary Media)

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SOLAR:

• A growing number of Florida residents join solar cooperatives to receive support and discounts for rooftop installations, as the state’s utilities accelerate construction of utility-scale projects. (Naples Daily News)
• Experts advise Arkansas farmers interested in solar to take action by the end of September to meet deadlines for federal grants and to qualify for one-to-one net metering in Arkansas. (Pine Bluff Commercial)
• A solar company negotiates with an Arkansas city to build a 4.9 MW facility to supply 70% of its power needs. (Arkansas Business)
• A company completes construction of a 452 MW Texas solar farm. (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

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WIND: Dominion Energy says Virginia ratepayers won’t be affected by its sale of a 50% stake in its offshore wind farm to an investment firm. (Virginia Mercury)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Volkswagen bets $2 billion on the reintroduction of its vintage Scout sport utility vehicle as an electric vehicle by breaking ground on a factory in South Carolina. (Inside Climate News)
• Houston has added just 49 electric or hybrid cars to its municipal fleet over the last two years, threatening its goal of shifting entirely to electric vehicles within the next decade. (Houston Chronicle)

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OIL & GAS:

• Virginia residents express opposition to Dominion Energy’s plans to build a 1,000 MW natural gas plant it says would be used primarily during cold snaps and other times of high power demand. (WTVR)
• Utility regulators in Austin, Texas, ask the municipal utility to reconsider its plan to build a hydrogen-capable natural gas plant. (Austin Monitor)

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COAL:

• Kentucky lawmakers consider undoing a 2007 law passed after the death of a coal miner that requires two emergency technicians be present for each mine shift. (Kentucky Lantern)
• The head of West Virginia’s coal association contrasts recent Democratic and Republican presidents’ policies toward the industry. (WV News)

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UTILITIES:

• Georgia lawmakers advance a bill to create a consumer’s utility counsel to advocate for the public after state regulators approved numerous rate hikes for Georgia Power. (Georgia Recorder)
• Georgia regulators prepare for a second round of hearings with environmental and consumer advocates on Georgia Power’s request for an additional 6,600 MW of capacity. (Capitol Beat News Service)

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CLIMATE: Federal officials expand the heat scale that signals the severity of heat stress on corals after record-high ocean temperatures last year led to a severe mass bleaching event near Florida. (E&E News, subscription)

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OIL & GAS: An Ohio judge dismisses environmental groups’ request to halt a state commission’s plan to start accepting bids for oil and gas drilling under state park and wildlife areas. (Energy News Network)

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AIR POLLUTION: Chicago environmental justice advocates score a “significant” victory as the U.S. EPA directs Illinois to make sweeping changes to its permitting process for polluting industries in neighborhoods. (Grist)

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PIPELINES:

• Former North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple says federal bureaucracy cost the state $38 million in Dakota Access pipeline policing costs as U.S. attorneys dispute the expenses. (North Dakota Monitor)
• South Dakota lawmakers are now considering 10 bills related to a proposed carbon pipeline as some landowners remain fiercely opposed to the use of eminent domain for the project. (South Dakota News Watch)
• The Sierra Club claims carbon pipeline developer Summit Carbon Solutions owes nearly $60,000 for site prep work to several Iowa counties. (Globe Gazette)

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UTILITIES: In seeking to ban campaign contributions from utilities, a Michigan lawmaker says it’s much cheaper for companies to buy political influence than invest in grid reliability. (Michigan Advance)

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CLEAN ENERGY: Michigan regulators will hold a public hearing next week in Detroit to gather input on carrying out sweeping new clean energy laws. (MLive)

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SOLAR: A $2.4 million solar installation coming to a Twin Cities-area corrections facility is part of a broader clean energy plan for Minnesota’s most populous county. (Star Tribune)

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CLIMATE: An Indiana researcher says localized actions and advocacy to help curb climate change could help prevent forecasted damages to local ecosystems and rising precipitation. (Indianapolis Star)

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RENEWABLES:

• Former Ohio regulator Sam Randazzo, who’s been indicted for his alleged role in a utility corruption scheme, also previously aligned with a known anti-renewable advocate in the region. (Checks and Balances Project)
• Detroit-based DTE Energy is seeking proposals to develop 1,075 MW of renewable energy projects to support its long-term clean energy plan. (North American Windpower)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A nascent movement of moms across the country is pushing for schools to transition to electric buses amid mounting evidence on the health harms of childrens’ exposure to diesel buses. (Associated Press)

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GRID:

• Ameren Missouri says in a new report that recent grid infrastructure upgrades prevented outages for roughly 66,000 customers in 2023. (KFVS)
• Grid operators MISO and Southwest Power Pool agree to conduct another shared grid study this year even though the past five studies have failed to produce an interregional transmission project. (RTO Insider, subscription)

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CLIMATE: Federal regulators are scrambling to implement policies to cut heat-trapping emissions and meet U.S. climate obligations in case the White House changes hands after the 2024 election. (Bloomberg)

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ALSO:

• The SEC has reportedly weakened a proposed emissions disclosure rule amid pushback from business interests. (Reuters)
• A judge rules in favor of Texas cryptocurrency companies’ challenge to efforts by the U.S. Department of Energy to collect data on the sector’s energy consumption. (International Business Times)

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HYDROGEN: An anticipated Supreme Court ruling could help hydrogen producers in their challenge to the 45V tax credit, which aims to ensure “green” hydrogen is produced from new clean energy resources. (E&E News)

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OIL & GAS:

• A warm winter and increased U.S. production have pushed natural gas prices to their lowest levels in more than 30 years. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)
• Environmentalists say Pennsylvania’s abandoned oil and gas well plugging project needs more oversight, as much of the funds going toward the effort aren’t being used on the worst wells. (Spotlight PA)
• An Ohio judge dismisses environmental groups’ request to halt a state commission’s plan to start accepting bids for oil and gas drilling under state park and wildlife areas. (Energy News Network)

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WIND:

• The sight of wind farms and other renewables in West Virginia coal country still stir emotions in residents who grew up grounded in coal culture and are uncomfortable with the clean energy transition. (NPR)
• The mayor of Ocean City, Maryland, rejects the community incentive package offered by US Wind in exchange for a commitment to not speak negatively about the developer’s local plans. (Salisbury Daily Times)

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UTILITIES: A new Virginia commission to provide state lawmakers more guidance on increasingly complicated utility and energy bills could give new life to stalled proposals to restrict utilities’ spending and introduce more competition for wind and solar. (Energy News Network)

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POLLUTION: Chicago environmental justice advocates score a “significant” victory as the U.S. EPA directs Illinois to make sweeping changes to its permitting process for polluting industries in neighborhoods. (Grist)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A nascent movement of moms across the country is pushing for schools to transition to electric buses amid mounting evidence on the health harms of childrens’ exposure to diesel buses. (Associated Press)

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COAL: Arizona regulators reject a utility’s proposed coal community transition fund aimed at helping the Navajo Nation weather mine and power plant retirements in the northern part of the state and New Mexico. (NM Political Report)

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POLITICS: Utah lawmakers pass legislation amending state energy policy to prioritize dispatchable power sources, including fossil fuel generation, over clean energy. (Utah News Dispatch)

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HYDROPOWER: The Biden administration and four Northwest tribal nations sign an agreement opening the door to breaching four hydropower dams in Washington state to restore fish populations. (Tri-City Herald)

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OFFSHORE WIND: Federal interior officials approve the construction and operations plan for the two-part Empire Wind project slated to provide roughly 2 GW of electricity off the New York coast. (WorkBoat)

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ALSO:

• Vineyard Wind now has five turbines providing power to the New England grid, although nine total have been installed so far. (Associated Press)
• The head of New Jersey’s public utilities board says at an offshore wind conference that she’s “more optimistic than ever” about the industry’s future in her state, despite recent negative developments. (news release)

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PIPELINES: A clean-up crew is back in Pennsylvania’s Marsh Creek State Park to contain a new leak related to the Mariner East pipeline developed by Energy Transfer, which has already paid over $4 million in environmental penalties. (WHYY)

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PLANNING: As the Army Corps of Engineers solidifies plans for a $52.6 billion coastal flood protection project that would redesign significant swathes of New York City’s waterfront, a new federal report suggests the corps isn’t doing enough to factor climate change into such developments. (The City)

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INCINERATION: Constant pulsation sounds from a Bristol, Connecticut, waste-to-energy facility and the unique acoustics of its valley location are causing complaints from dozens of local residents — and leading some to move away. (Hartford Courant, subscription)

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UTILITIES:

• PPL Corp.’s chief executive officer says on the utility’s latest earnings call that the company is “laser focused” on a reliable, affordable and sustainable clean energy transition, with plans for $14.3 billion in new capital spending through 2027. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• Consolidated Edison intends to invest almost $20 billion in the next four years in transmission infrastructure upgrades to boost climate resiliency in New York and New Jersey. (RTO Insider, subscription)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A 900-unit Queens housing co-op complex now hosts 423 electric vehicle chargers on its property, making it New York City’s largest EV charging station. (Habitat)
• Two electric trash trucks will soon arrive in New Haven, Connecticut, helping replace the city’s diesel-fueled fleet. (New Haven Register)

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TRANSIT:

• Massachusetts transit advocates say they support the governor’s new task force to solve the state’s transit funding problem but worry it lacks diverse perspectives. (WBUR)
• A central Pennsylvania transit agency partners with a gas and power supplier to use biogas from local landfills to fuel around 80 buses. (Lehigh Valley Business)

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POLICY: New York’s environmental conservation commissioner is leaving the agency after over eight years holding the position and guiding the state through its climate goal setting. (Times Union)

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WIND: Vineyard Wind becomes the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S. to begin delivering power, a step Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey calls “a turning point in the clean energy transition.” (Associated Press)

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ALSO: Federal interior officials approve the construction and operations plan for the two-part Empire Wind project slated to provide roughly 2 GW of electricity off the New York coast. (WorkBoat)

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GRID: FERC seeks $27 million in penalties from a Texas company called “Ketchup Caddy” after finding it bid hundreds of megawatts of non-existent capacity into MISO markets. (Utility Dive)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, whose state has seen billions of dollars in investments from EV manufacturers, says the “Biden mandates” have “pushed the market too quickly” and created a backlash to electric cars. (Politico)
• Ford’s CEO says the automaker will have to “think carefully” about the location of future factories after last year’s strike by the United Auto Workers temporarily shut down its truck factory in Louisville, Kentucky. (Associated Press)

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SOLAR:

• Sunrun says its home battery sales have surged since California slashed net metering compensation for rooftop solar. (Bloomberg)
• Amid contentious debate over a large solar project, an Ohio county sees two conflicting studies on economic benefits, but only one is transparent about its data. (Energy News Network)

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POLLUTION: The EPA’s science advisors warn a proposed power plant emissions rule will not be aggressive enough to meet Paris Agreement climate targets. (E&E News, subscription)

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OIL & GAS: The Mountain Valley Pipeline’s developers say they’ll purchase $150 million in carbon offsets to ensure the natural gas transmission project is “carbon neutral” during its first decade. (WV News)

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BIOFUELS: The U.S. EPA issues a final rule to allow year-round sales of higher blends of corn-based ethanol in eight Midwestern states despite concerns that it could worsen smog during warm weather. (Associated Press)

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UTILITIES: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine defends a top adviser after a criminal indictment alleges she knew about millions of dollars FirstEnergy paid to Sam Randazzo before DeWine appointed him as the state’s top utility regulator. (Ohio Capital Journal)

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GEOTHERMAL: A Chicago environmental justice organization is helping to build out a geothermal heating and cooling network on the city’s South Side. (Grist)

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HYDROGEN: The CEO of North America’s largest flat-rolled steel company is betting on hydrogen to decarbonize its operations while also driving profits: “We are doing this to get paid, not to brag about it.” (E&E News)

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COMMENTARY: A Harvard legal scholar says interregional transmission lines, which will be critical for reaching climate targets, are being held back by utilities protecting their profits. (IEEE Spectrum)

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POLLUTION: Colorado lawmakers introduce a suite of bills aimed at reducing ozone pollution that would pause summer oil and gas drilling, restrict gasoline-fueled automobile traffic and increase fines for polluters. (Colorado Sun)

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COAL: As cases of black lung surge on the Navajo Nation, a study finds Indigenous coal miners are less likely to receive federal benefits. (Rocky Mountain PBS)

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OIL & GAS:

• Colorado landowners file a lawsuit accusing oil and gas companies of using fraudulent transfers to dodge their responsibility for cleaning up non-producing wells. (news release)
• The Biden administration allocates $50 million for plugging and remediating orphaned oil and gas wells in national parks, forests and wildlife refuges. (news release)

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STORAGE:

• Sunrun says its home battery sales have surged since California slashed net metering compensation for rooftop solar. (Bloomberg)
• A developer begins construction on a utility-scale green hydrogen-plus-battery long duration storage system in California. (Solar Power World)

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UTILITIES:

• Washington state lawmakers propose offering low- and moderate-income residents a $200 utility bill rebate to offset fuel costs blamed on a new carbon cap-and-invest program. (Crosscut)
• An Alaska utility looks to reduce its reliance on natural gas generation while also scrapping a goal to reach 50% renewable energy by 2025. (KDLL)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A California nonprofit plans to launch an electric bicycle voucher program for low-income residents this spring. (inewsource)

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SOLAR:

• Arizona regulators approve a utility’s proposed monthly surcharge on customers with rooftop solar. (Arizona Republic)
• A developer secures $1 billion in financing for a 150 MW solar-plus-storage project under construction in Kern County, California. (Energy Storage News)

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WIND: California lawmakers raise concerns about a recently approved long-term energy plan that downgrades offshore wind targets. (Politico)

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CLIMATE: The University of Arizona delays implementing its new climate plan, citing a $177 million budget deficit. (Grist)

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HYDROPOWER: Alaska utilities move forward with a plan to alter a hydropower dam even though local officials asked them to pause the project to consider possible impacts. (Anchorage Daily News)

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URANIUM:

• Utah Indigenous advocates push back on state lawmakers’ proposal to incentivize mining for uranium and other critical materials, saying it prioritizes private interests over public health. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• An Arizona county calls for the closure of a uranium mine near the Grand Canyon, saying it could contaminate groundwater. (KNAU)

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SOLAR: Texas accounts for more than a third of planned U.S. solar facilities and a significant chunk of battery projects this year as new solar and storage development is projected to shatter records. (S&P Global)

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ALSO:

• A West Virginia solar company announces a deal with FirstEnergy’s utilities to ensure homeowners who install rooftop solar by the end of the year receive one-to-one net metering. (Times West Virginian)
• A Virginia county board approves 1.9 MW and 3 MW solar facilities despite opposition from residents, and discusses a pending 150 MW project but takes no vote. (Mecklenburg Sun)
• An energy company meets with Kentucky residents as it plans a 150 MW solar farm. (Messenger)
• A Virginia planning board votes against a permit for a 5 MW solar farm because of concerns it would hurt tourism. (WVIR)
• New Orleans relaunches a “solar for all” program that includes the development of solar-powered resilience hubs for disasters. (WGNO)
• A Virginia-based solar company hires its first CEO, a Texan who’s spent 15 years working on utility-scale solar projects. (Daily Progress)

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COAL ASH: The U.S. EPA warns Georgia regulators they’re likely allowing Georgia Power to store coal ash in ways that fall short of federal standards. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

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NUCLEAR: The Tennessee Valley Authority plans to hire 330 people to conduct nuclear fusion energy research at a Tennessee coal-fired power plant that was closed late last year. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Electric vehicle startup Rivian announces layoffs in response to a lackluster earnings report but expects to begin construction soon on its planned Georgia factory. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• Tennessee hybrid and electric vehicle owners are startled to discover the state now charges an annual registration fee of $100 for hybrids and $200 for EVs. (WKRN)

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OIL & GAS:

• An investigation finds the amount of money budgeted to plug fossil fuel wells in Texas and 14 other states that account for nearly all oil and gas production covers less than 2% of the projected cost. (ProPublica)
• South Carolina residents worry about the potential construction of a new pipeline to supply a planned natural gas-fired power plant. (WCSC)

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BIOFUELS: Florida lawmakers consider legislation written by a utility that would make it easier to develop manure-to-gas facilities and pass the cost to ratepayers. (Tampa Bay Times)

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HYDROGEN:

• West Virginia lawmakers unanimously advance a bill to remove hydrogen from the list of alternative fuels subject to the motor fuel excise tax. (Dominion Post)
• A Mississippi researcher receives a grant to study electrocatalyst testing methods of producing hydrogen. (Mississippi Business Journal)

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CLIMATE: A Florida university receives a $9 million federal grant to build wells along the coast to determine how rising groundwater might destabilize thousands of buildings crowding the state’s coastline. (Miami Herald)

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UTILITIES: Jurors hear testimony in the trial of two former executives of Jacksonville, Florida’s municipal utility who are accused of conspiracy and fraud. (Jacksonville Daily Record)

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COMMENTARY: Virginia lawmakers consider creating a retail market for cannabis, which will almost certainly drive up power demand and carbon emissions, writes an editor. (Cardinal News)

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CLIMATE: State and local governments, including those in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, are preparing applications for a $5 billion federal grant program to implement big ideas in climate action plans. (Energy News Network)

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EFFICIENCY: The home builder lobby is mobilizing members to fight stronger energy-efficient building standards, inflating upfront costs and ignoring how efficiency measures could quickly pay for themselves through lower energy bills. (Washington Post)

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UTILITIES:

• Ohio utility regulators will resume investigations related to FirstEnergy and HB 6 and whether ratepayer funding was used for political spending. (Crain’s Cleveland Business, subscription)
• A forthcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling related to Illinois’ bribery statute could upend the convictions of four former ComEd executives, according to defense attorneys. (Center Square)

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GRID:

• Ann Arbor, Michigan, officials prepare to ask voters whether to approve a Sustainable Energy Utility that would deploy microgrids connecting solar, geothermal and battery storage across the city. (Michigan Public)
• Just months after receiving a $368 million rate increase, DTE Energy appears poised to request another increase this spring for grid infrastructure investments. (Planet Detroit)
• Four electric grid operators call on federal regulators to improve natural gas networks and market rules to avoid energy emergencies recently seen in Texas and the Northeast. (E&E News)

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CARBON CAPTURE: A North Dakota environmental group says a $300,000 public contract to a consultant to educate residents about carbon capture is essentially lobbying for the practice. (North Dakota Monitor)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• President Biden’s push for electric vehicle adoption divides unionized auto workers in Michigan, a crucial swing state where concerns remain about long-term job losses tied to the transition. (New York Times, Politico)
• Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian will lay off 10% of its salaried workers amid recent quarterly losses and growing market competition. (CNN)

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SOLAR: A developer begins early siting work for a planned 1,400-acre solar project in southwestern Indiana. (WEVV)

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COMMENTARY: A retired Michigan minister and columnist says state lawmakers should pass a pair of bipartisan bills that would open community solar in the state. (Holland Sentinel)

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EFFICIENCY: Policies to improve energy efficiency in housing have faced strong opposition from builders associations, who frequently deploy inflated cost estimates to fight code upgrades. (Washington Post)

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CLEAN ENERGY: While U.S. investment in renewable energy reached record levels last year, a new report says the pace will need to accelerate to meet the country’s climate goals. (Canary Media)

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POLLUTION: The Supreme Court will hear arguments today on a challenge to the Clean Air Act’s “good neighbor” provision, which aims to protect people from air pollution from other states. (NPR)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A report from the American Lung Association says a full transition to zero-emission vehicles would prevent millions of asthma attacks in children. (CNN)
• While policies to phase out gasoline cars have become politically polarized, a study finds electric vehicles are popular with Democrats and Republicans alike. (CNN)
• New Jersey school districts can apply for funds to establish bidirectional electric school bus charging systems to make the vehicles double as energy storage assets through a new, $45 million pilot program. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• A technological standard that would enable widespread use of electric vehicles to serve as grid assets is a step closer to becoming reality. (Canary Media)

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SOLAR: A new report projects the U.S. will have installed 14 GW of community solar by 2028. (Solar Power World)

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GRID:

• The New England grid operator’s latest report says the region needs to invest around $1 billion annually in power transmission upgrades through 2050 to accommodate new clean energy technologies. (Maine Public)
• A 226-mile Nebraska transmission line first proposed in 2012 has failed to advance amid intense opposition from environmental groups, conservative lawmakers, ranchers and tribes. (Flatwater Free Press)

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CLIMATE: Chicago files a lawsuit accusing six oil companies and a major industry group of waging a campaign to discredit climate science and misleading the public about the dangers of fossil fuels. (E&E News)

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CARBON CAPTURE: Montana advocates and residents push back against ExxonMobil’s proposed carbon sequestration project on 110,000 acres of federal land, citing potential impacts to wildlife, groundwater and livestock. (Independent Record)

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MINING: The developer of a proposed lithium mine in Nevada struggles to work around environmental opposition and an endangered wildflower in its path. (Forbes)

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PIPELINES: The Mountain Valley Pipeline announces yet another delay and cost increase, moving projected completion from March to June and raising the price tag to more than $7.5 billion. (Roanoke Times, WVTF)

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COMMENTARY:

• A federal tax credit tucked into the Inflation Reduction Act could provide hundreds of billions of dollars to help the U.S. steel industry cut climate emissions by more than 90%, a clean industry advocate writes. (Energy News Network)
• An editorial board says shareholder climate activism isn’t working and advocates should devote their energy to the political process instead. (Washington Post)

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CARBON CAPTURE: Montana advocates and residents push back against ExxonMobil’s proposed carbon sequestration project on 110,000 acres of federal land, citing potential impacts to wildlife, groundwater and livestock. (Independent Record)

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ALSO: Wyoming lawmakers advance a bill amending a controversial law requiring utilities to study carbon capture for coal plants slated for retirement. (WyoFile)

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OIL & GAS:

• U.S. Sen. Michael Bennett, a Colorado Democrat, joins congressional Republicans in opposition to the Biden administration’s pause on new liquefied natural gas export approvals, saying it would undercut efforts to replace Russian gas in Europe. (Reuters)
• A grand jury indicts a former New Mexico petroleum company owner for allegedly underpaying oil and gas royalties to the federal government, the Navajo Nation and the Jicarilla Apache Nation. (Center Square)
• A Colorado jury awards $30 million to an oil and gas worker seriously injured in a 2019 tank explosion. (Denver Post)

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SOLAR:

• Utah lawmakers advance a bill that would increase net metering compensation for rooftop solar exported to the grid. (KSL)
• Developers propose a 90 MW solar installation on about 500 acres of private land in eastern New Mexico. (news release)
• U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, introduces legislation aimed at facilitating solar development alongside federal highways. (news release)

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POLITICS: Republican Utah lawmakers push a suite of bills that would make it more difficult for utilities to retire coal and natural gas power plants. (Utah News Dispatch)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Denver shifts the income thresholds for its popular electric bicycle incentive program in advance of opening the year’s first round of applications. (Denver Post)
• Oregon plans to reopen an electric vehicle incentive program suspended due to lack of funds, but only until the money runs out again. (OPB)

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CLIMATE: California and several municipalities merge their lawsuits accusing oil companies of using disinformation campaigns to thwart efforts to reduce emissions. (DeSmog)

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CLEAN ENERGY: California regulators approve a plan requiring the state to reduce electricity sector emissions by adding more than 56 GW of clean energy generation and storage to the grid. (Utility Dive)

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UTILITIES:

• California, Utah and Arizona lawmakers consider legislation that would prohibit utilities from paying for political lobbying with customer funds. (Grist)
• Montana consumer advocates accuse NorthWestern Energy of overcharging customers about $200 million since 2005. (Daily Montanan)

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MINING: The developer of a proposed lithium mine in Nevada struggles to work around environmental opposition and an endangered wildflower in its path. (Forbes)

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GRID: Colorado lawmakers consider offering tax breaks to data centers, even though their outsized electricity demand could threaten state decarbonization efforts. (Big Pivots)

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COMMENTARY: A California advocate urges state lawmakers to pass a bill that would establish carbon dioxide pipeline regulations. (LegalPlanet)

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