COAL ASH:
• Allegations of dubious practices mount against Virginia regulators for allowing the disposal of coal ash wastewater into a creek near the Potomac River. (Climate Progress)
ALSO:
• Out-of-state coal ash being dumped in South Carolina is riling residents. (The State)
• A North Carolina judge questions the motives of state regulators and will review its $6.6 million settlement with Duke Energy over coal ash violations. (Fayetteville Observer)
• North Carolina regulators permit Duke Energy to remove water at a coal ash pond in preparation for burial in a lined landfill. (Charlotte Business Journal)
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SOLAR:
• A New York firm plans several large solar projects in Georgia. (Savannah Morning News)
• A community solar system in North Carolina launching soon will sell rights to individual panels for credits on monthly power bills. (Island Free Press)
• Florida Power & Light, at groundbreaking, touts its plan to install 1 million solar panels at three sites by the end of the year. (Saint Peters Blog)
• The economics of rooftop solar in South Carolina depend on what, if any, utility incentives are available. (The Post and Courier)
UTILITIES:
• Dominion Virginia Power accepts responsibility for an oil spill that has spoiled a 10-mile stretch of the Potomac River. (Inside NoVA)
• Residents of an Arkansas town challenge regulators about sub-par service by Entergy Arkansas, which utility executives acknowledge. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
• The TVA has no plans to change how it’s complying with the Clean Power Plan after the Supreme Court’s stay. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
• By 2020, renewable energy is projected to account for 10 percent of Georgia Power’s generation sources. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• After the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, an eight-member Supreme Court would still have to lift the stay it issued last week. (Politico)
• Mississippi lawmakers cheer the Supreme Court’s stay of the plan. (Jackson Clarion-Ledger)
CLIMATE: A summit at Tulane University will spotlight climate and green building challenges and opportunities. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
COAL:
• West Virginia lawmakers override the veto by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin freeing coal and other workers of the requirement to join a union. (Associated Press)
• Reality tempters optimism in coal country after the Supreme Court’s stay of the Clean Power Plan. (Associated Press)
• Coal mines in Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia report deep production cuts. (SNL)
• How President Obama went from a clean coal cheerleader to the industry’s No. 1 enemy. (Grist)
• The top energy administrator in Kentucky says his office will not be “a hindrance to any industry,” including coal mining. (Louisville Courier-Journal)
• Virginia lawmakers and Gov. Terry McAuliffe spar over coal tax credits. (The Roanoke Times)
NUCLEAR:
• The TVA says it is abandoning plans to build new reactors at the Bellefonte complex in Alabama. (Associated Press)
• An inside look at the construction of the Plant Vogtle reactors in Georgia. (WTVM-TV)
PIPELINES:
• Opponents in Georgia plan to appeal federal regulators’ approval of the Sabal Trail natural gas pipeline. (First Coast News)
• Opponents of the Palmetto Pipeline’s proposed path through Georgia say local communities share much of the risk with no benefits. (Savannah Morning News)
• Dominion proposes a new route for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline that it says avoids two national forests. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
COMMENTARY:
• Dominion Virginia Power – again – succeeds in blocking legislation designed to pry open the market for solar and wind. (Power for the People VA blog)
• Conservation programs in North Carolina can add up to significant bulk savings if a culture of wasting energy changes. (Blue Ridge Now)
• Greenville, North Carolina should share, but not shoulder, the entire tab for cleaning up Duke Energy’s coal ash spill into the Dan River. (The Daily Reflector)
• Louisiana’s share of revenues from offshore drilling should fund coastal restoration efforts, not help to balance the federal budget. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
• Dominion’s newly-proposed route for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is ill-conceived and fails to minimize harm to Virginia. (Southern Environmental Law Center)