COAL:
• A Kentucky startup is helping “high-tech hillbillies” transition from coal mining to software development. (Bloomberg Business)
• Mississippi Power delays again and adds $110 million to the now $6.6 billion estimated cost of its Kemper coal gasification plant. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
NUCLEAR:
• Georgia Power’s parent company signals more nuclear reactors “will be a dominant solution” for new generation. (EnergyWire)
• Georgia regulators vote to begin a lengthy examination of the rising costs of Georgia Power’s two reactors under construction. (Morris News Service / Athens Banner-Herald)
WIND:
• The federal government will likely lease by year’s end the first tracts off North Carolina’s coast earmarked for a wind farm. (Coastal Review Online)
• Researchers at the Sandia National Labs, University of Virginia and other colleges are trying to develop turbines with blades longer than two football fields. (Treehugger)
SOLAR:
• Entergy begins building its first solar system in New Orleans. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
• A North Carolina county rezones land for a solar project. (Fayetteville Observer)
• A New Jersey utility affiliate buys into North Carolina’s solar market. (NorthJersey.com)
CLIMATE: A new and growing coalition in Virginia is pushing Gov. Terry McAuliffe to speed the state’s transition toward cleaner energy. (Public News Service)
OFFSHORE DRILLING: Seismic surveys using air-gun blasts are put on hold while federal officials assess their potential harm to protected whales and dolphins. (Coastal Review Online)
UTILITIES:
• Customers of Florida Power & Light are to see the fourth price reduction in the last 16 months due to low natural gas prices and a new clean energy center. (Saint Peters Blog)
• Regulators grant accelerated approval of Duke’s Energy proposed financing of its Piedmont Natural Gas acquisition. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Regardless of whether Cleco Power in Louisiana is acquired by an investor group, its headcount is to remain as is. (The Town Talk)
COAL ASH: A judge’s ruling appears to clear the way for an enforcement hearing against Duke Energy over groundwater pollution from a coal-ash pond. (Charlotte Business Journal)
LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS: Lake Charles, Louisiana prepares for boom times, if they ever come. (Heavy Lift & Project Forwarding International)
OIL & GAS:
• An Arkansas water utility urges federal regulators to uphold fines against ExxonMobil over a 2013 oil spill. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
• An analysis of tourism spending in Gulf counties adjacent to offshore drilling shows how it scares off tourists. (Southern Environmental Law Center)
• West Virginia lawmakers consider beefing up how companies report accidents. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
COMMENTARY:
• North Carolina officials are flip-flopping on risk assessments and plans for managing the disposal of the state’s coal ash. (Raleigh News & Observer)
• Regulators need to re-think how they weigh the environmental impacts of proposed pipelines. (The Roanoke Times)
• North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory now has clear responsibility to manage the disposal of Duke Energy’s coal ash. (Greensboro News & Record)