Note to readers: Southeast Energy News will be taking a break tomorrow and Monday for Memorial Day weekend. We will return on Tuesday, May 28.

UTILITIES: Duke Energy’s plans to build five large natural gas plants in the Carolinas is on a collision course with new Biden administration rules that would throttle the plants’ use in just eight years. (Energy News Network) 

RENEWABLES: Florida state agencies begin repealing renewable energy goals, saying they are “no longer necessary” after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new law last week dismantling state climate policies. (News Service of Florida)

EMISSIONS: Virginia Democrats say Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s withdrawal from a regional greenhouse gas partnership is costing the state about $150 million a year in funds that could be used to address flooding, sea level rise and other climate impacts. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Georgia workers in an electric vehicle charger installation training program are frustrated with the lack of job opportunities, with seven of 45 participants finding jobs so far. (WABE)

SOLAR:

  • Lexington, Kentucky’s mayor petitions state utility regulators to block a proposed solar project by East Kentucky Power, saying it would make it harder to build a new coal or natural gas power plant. (WKYT) 
  • Fort Mill, South Carolina, residents say they feel betrayed after state officials approved a permit for a solar cell manufacturing facility in their neighborhood. (WCCB)
  • Louisiana regulators approve Entergy’s proposal to add up to 3 GW of solar generation, the largest renewable expansion in state history. (news release)
  • A planned solar project in Tennessee would have no significant impact on water quality, floodplains or human health, a review finds. (News-Herald)
  • A developer briefs a Virginia county board on a planned $300 million solar project, drawing questions on its appearance and funding. (Herald Courier) 

OVERSIGHT: A former South Carolina utility regulator who resigned to protest legislation to fast-track a natural gas power plant says the proposal “creates more problems than it solves.” (FOX Carolina)

PIPELINES: Mountain Valley Pipeline developers push the project’s targeted in-service date to June, citing “weather and environmental protection” delays. (Cardinal News)

OIL & GAS: 

  • Dominion Energy is considering a new location for a proposed Chesterfield County, Virginia, power plant, based on community feedback. (WRIC)
  • The U.S. Energy Department warns that hurricanes could raise fuel prices if storms hit Gulf Coast oil and gas operations. (Houston Chronicle)

WIND: 

GRID: 

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Dan has two decades' experience working in print, digital and broadcast media. Prior to joining the Energy News Network as managing editor in December 2017, he oversaw watchdog reporting at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, part of the USA Today Network, and before that spent several years as a freelance journalist covering energy, business and technology. Dan is a former Midwest Energy News journalism fellow and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communications from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.