SOLAR:
• Alabama Power is seeking approval to install up to 500 megawatts of renewable energy projects, including solar. (Alabama Media Group)
• A debate prompts a dispute between Tea Party chapters over support for the proposed solar choice constitutional amendment in Florida. (Saint Peters Blog)
• Utility-scale solar systems in the U.S. cost roughly half as much as residential systems on a per kilowatt-hour basis, says a new report by a utility consultancy. (Greentech Media)
PIPELINES: South Carolina officials question whether state law gives pipeline developers eminent domain power. (Savannah Morning News)
OFFSHORE OIL & GAS:
• A geophysical company will use aircraft to assess oil and natural gas potential off the southern Atlantic Coast. (Miami Herald)
• The oil industry’s push to drill off Florida’s coast puts the state’s lawmakers in Congress, as well as Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, on the spot. (E&E Daily)
COAL:
• The battle over legislation to bar mountaintop coal removal is heating up in Congress. (Huffington Post)
• What a bankruptcy filing by Birmingham-based coal producer Walter Energy would mean for Alabama. (The Birmingham News)
• Kentucky Power says it will shut down the second of two coal-burning units at its Big Sandy power plant this fall, six months sooner than planned. (Platts)
EMISSIONS:
• With their heavy reliance on coal, Duke Energy ranks first, Southern Co. third and the TVA sixth in ranking of carbon emissions by power producers. (Mother Jones)
• Arkansas, Kentucky and Louisiana are seeing their carbon emissions rise while most other states’ emissions — including others in the Southeast — are falling. (Climate Central)
CLIMATE: While evidence is growing that global warming is harming human health, many scientists say it is only one of the many forces influencing health. (The New York Times)
OIL REFINERIES: A lack of experienced managers points to more cost overruns and delays of planned refinery expansions in Louisiana and Texas. (Houston Chronicle)
BP OIL SPILL SETTLEMENT: The public Audubon Commission in Louisiana voted to accept a $3.5 million settlement. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
COMMENTARY: Here is what Miami and Charleston, South Carolina could look like with a dramatic rise in sea levels. (Climate Central)