OIL & GAS: Donald Trump and Joe Biden debate climate change and the future of oil and gas at the final presidential debate. (Texas Tribune)
ALSO:
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says Biden’s comments on transitioning from oil “killed” industry workers’ paychecks. (Newsweek)
• The oil and gas industry has given nearly $2 million to Trump in the 2020 election cycle, more than three times as much as to Biden. (E&E News)
• France seeks to cancel or delay an electric utility’s $7 billion deal to buy Texas shale gas because of concerns over its methane emissions. (Kallanish Energy)
• The oil industry hasn’t recovered jobs lost in the pandemic, and a new analysis suggests 70% of those jobs won’t return before the end of 2021. (Reform Austin)
PIPELINES:
• A natural gas company that once owned the Mountain Valley Pipeline wants to sell off its capacity in the project, which is running two years behind and $2 billion over budget. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• A Virginia county board complains that the Mountain Valley Pipeline has made its rivers and streams “a lot more dirty” and passes a resolution asking state regulators to intervene. (Franklin News-Post)
SOLAR:
• A 50 MW solar farm that could power thousands of homes begins operation in Baton Rouge. (The Advocate)
• A pair of 200 MW solar farms will be built in eastern Texas, including one on a former coal mine. (KLTV)
• An Arkansas school district breaks ground on a solar project expected to provide more than 90% of its energy needs. (Camden News)
COAL:
• Georgia residents who live near the country’s largest coal-fired power plant call for it to clean up a coal ash pond and address concerns about air and water quality. (WABE)
• Arch Resources, the nation’s second largest coal company, outlines plans to divest from electricity-generating thermal coal. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• A North Carolina power plant that burns coal, wood and tires, and was recently cited for air quality violations, will close next spring. (Wilmington Star-News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tennessee builds on this week’s announcement of a General Motors plant conversion to claim the title of the leading state for making electric cars. (Knoxville News-Sentinel, subscription-only)
GRID:
• The Tennessee Valley Authority seeks comments as it plans to build a new transmission line and substation in a fast-growing part of the Knoxville metro area. (WATE)
• South Carolina residents express concerns about construction of a 115kV high transmission power line near a tidal creek. (WCSC)
