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RENEWABLES:
• Wind, solar and other sources of renewable energy have the potential to create 15,000 new jobs in North Carolina by 2026, according to a new report. (Triangle Business Journal)
• A solar energy CEO calls on Arkansas regulators to eliminate uncertainty over the use of renewable energy there. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
SOLAR:
• Development of utility-scale systems is not just flourishing in North Carolina, but also now in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Virginia. (Greentech Media)
• A newly installed 112-panel array at the University of Alabama-Birmingham is the city’s largest solar system. (WBMA)
• A nonprofit that assesses the clarity of ballot amendments spotlights the utility-backed solar Amendment 1 in Florida for “purposely” misleading voters. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
• Solar is approaching a “tipping point” in Arkansas. (KUAR Public Radio)
• Some residents in South Carolina call for a moratorium on solar farms. (Hartsville Messenger)
COAL:
• Virginia-based Southern Coal Corp. agrees to a $900,000 civil penalty to settle allegations over how its mining operations polluted Appalachian waterways. (Roanoke Times)
• A poll shows awareness of, and support for, the proposed RECLAIM Act is growing in West Virginia. (The Exponent Telegram)
• The latest cost increase to build the Kemper “clean coal” power plant in Mississippi is $62 million, with the total price of the plant now nearly $6.9 billion. (Associated Press)
PIPELINES:
• West Virginia regulators today begin a two-day hearing on a proposed extension of a natural gas pipeline by Mountaineer Gas Co. (Exponent Telegram)
• Residents in the revised path of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline appeal to federal regulators as one launches an online petition threatening a class action lawsuit. (WVIR)
COAL ASH: An environmental group tries to force the North Carolina governor’s chief of staff to testify about a long-running dispute over water safety. (Salisbury Post)
EFFICIENCY: The Department of Energy recognizes a Georgia builder for its “high-performance” homes. (Athens Banner-Herald)
COMMENTARY:
• Stop the federal government from authorizing seismic testing for drilling off South Carolina’s coast. (Island Packet)
• While the growing pains of America’s solar industry are far from over, the industry’s future still looks bright. (Augusta Free Press)
• Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s “not my problem” approach to gas pipelines unfairly rewards Dominion. (Roanoke Times)
• The pro-solar Amendment 1 on Florida’s ballot is anything but. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)