Energy news in brief

** A circuit court judge orders tree sitters blocking the Mountain Valley Pipeline to leave a southwestern Virginia encampment they have occupied for more than two years according to the Roanoke Times.

** American Electric Power will refurbish three coal-fired plants in West Virginia and one in Arkansas with new coal ash-handling systems to meet EPA requirements reported The Intelligencer.

** New York announces $11 million in Volkswagen settlement funds will be used to develop fast-charging stations, with a focus on underserved communities.

** Ford unveils the electric version of its Transit cargo van, promising business customers in particular lower long-term operational costs.

** POLITICO reported a bipartisan quartet of House lawmakers — Reps. Mike LevinDavid SchweikertPaul Tonko and Paul Cook — introduced legislation this week that would establish a temporary refundable investment tax credit for solar projects that break ground by the end of 2021.

** Minnesota’s Pollution Control Agency and its Department of Natural Resources approved key permits for the Line 3 oil pipeline, paving the way for construction to begin soon on the controversial project, The Star Tribune reported.

** Arkansas Business reported Experts speaking at an economic forecast conference led by the Arkansas Economic Development Institute said they don’t expect full recovery until two years from now. Inflation could rise between 2% and 4%. Still, unemployment could get to around 4% by the end of 2022, according to Carlos Silva of the AEDI.

** Petroleos Mexicanos’s oil-trading arm is asking its roughly 270 employees to return almost $1 million of bonuses they received earlier this year reported Bloomberg.