Supreme Court Won’t Hear Discrimination Case in Georgia PSC Elections

The U.S. Supreme Court last week said it will not hear a case challenging Georgia’s system of electing utility regulators. 

The high court rejected claims that the power of Black voters was illegally diluted because the five members of the Public Service Commission are elected statewide. A lower court said such statewide votes were discriminatory and would have mandated elections by district, potentially sparking challenges to statewide elected bodies in other states with large numbers of Black voters. However, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling in November, saying Georgia was free to choose its form of government for the commission. 

The PSC has gone years without having elections because votes were paused during the lawsuit. 

More: The Associated Press 

Vineyard Wind 1 Becomes Largest Operating OSW Farm in US

Five more wind turbines recently came online at Vineyard Wind 1, making it the largest operating offshore wind farm in the U.S. 

Vineyard is now delivering more than 136 MW to Massachusetts with 10 turbines in operation. New York’s South Fork Wind, the U.S.’s first complete utility-scale offshore wind farm, is at 132 MW. 

Vineyard currently has 47 foundations and transition pieces installed, as well as 21 turbines, with the installation of the 22nd underway. Once completed, the project will consist of 62 turbines. 

More: Electrek 

Trump Would Withdraw US from Paris Climate Treaty Again, Campaign Says

Donald Trump would pull the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement for the second time if he wins the presidency again in November, Karoline Leavitt, campaign press secretary, said last week. 

Another possible order would remove the U.S. from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is the underlying framework that serves as the basis for the global climate talks. Removing the nation from the 1992 U.N. treaty would require Senate approval for the U.S. to rejoin and might freeze the U.S. out of the system indefinitely. 

More: POLITICO 

USDA Puts $375M Toward Rural Renewables

The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week announced $375 million in funding for renewable energy projects, predominantly through the Inflation Reduction Act, for rural areas. 

The two largest awards will go to battery energy storage systems in Fairbanks, Alaska, and the Soldotna Substation in Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, both of which will receive $100 million; $55.2 million will go toward three battery storage projects in Benson, Ariz.; $16.6 million for a hydroelectric plant on the Kentucky River; and $3.6 million toward a community solar facility in Madison, Neb. 

USDA will also award $100 million in grants and loans across 39 states and Puerto Rico. 

More: The Hill