3 March 2025

CARBON CAPTURE

• "This cannot be a done deal”: Conservative, rural Louisiana residents in oil-and-gas-producing parts of the state push back on proposed carbon capture projects over concerns about surface leaks, damage to aquifers and their use of federal funding. (The Advocate)
• Oil and gas industry officials push President Trump to support using carbon capture to force oil out of aging wells, which experts warn could result in higher oil production and carbon emissions. (Floodlight)

NUCLEAR

• A company announces plans to deploy 30 nuclear microreactors across Texas to add a total of 600 MW of capacity to the state grid. (Houston Chronicle)
• A Tennessee town that played a key role in the Manhattan Project is revving up for a new wave of nuclear energy development. (E&E News)
• A company plans to build three fluoride salt-cooled, demonstration nuclear reactors in Tennessee by drawing on two technologies developed in a nearby national lab. (Oak Ridger)

SOLAR

• A Virginia county planning commission narrowly votes to approve a 3 MW solar farm that will contribute to Dominion Energy’s shared solar program for low- and moderate-income households, but it still faces a county board that previously rejected another solar project. (Fredericksburg Free Press)

GRID

• PJM grid officials approve Dominion Energy’s plans to build a 155-mile, 765 kV transmission line in Virginia as a top priority for its 13-state territory. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• The United Auto Workers continue negotiations over a new contract for workers at Volkswagen’s Tennessee factory, warning the company’s latest contract offer would require workers giving up some of their demands. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Virginia regulators approve Dominion Energy’s plans to build a 25-million gallon liquified natural gas storage facility near two gas-fired power plants. (Inside Climate News)
• Texas regulators request $100 million from the state as they struggle to address a growing number of leaky orphaned oil wells. (Houston Chronicle)
• A financially troubled company proposes a plant to convert roughly 7,000 tons of plastic each year into ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel near a low-income neighborhood in a North Carolina city. (Inside Climate News)

MINERALS

• Virginia Tech will lead a $10 million effort to develop critical mineral supply chains in Appalachia. (Cardinal News)

UTILITIES

• Duke Energy officials discuss the utility’s response to Hurricane Helene and its part in the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s proposal to build a spur into North Carolina during a meeting with state lawmakers. (NC Newsline)
• Oil company Shell sells off its residential book of customers in the Texas power market to NRG Energy, effectively getting out of the retail energy business in the state. (Houston Chronicle)

POLITICS

• Trump cuts National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists studying the interactions of whales and offshore wind. (Canary Media)
• Trump’s freeze of federal funds rattles Louisiana, with funding for small businesses to install renewable energy infrastructure delayed and hurricane forecasters laid off. (NOLA.com)
• The Virginia Supreme Court rejects the revival of a youth-led lawsuit claiming the state’s permitting of fossil fuel projects violates the constitutional rights of young people by exacerbating climate change. (E&E News)