NORTH CAROLINA: Regulators raise the bond two environmental groups must post before they try to appeal a permit for a proposed power plant to $98 million. (Raleigh News & Observer)
WIND: A second large wind farm proposed in eastern North Carolina nears its public-hearings phase. (Triangle Business Journal)
***SPONSORED LINK: How should regulators respond to Georgia Power’s expansion of electric vehicle charging stations? Vote here.***
COAL ASH:
• Several groups make their final appeal to the TVA to reverse course on its controversial plan to store ash by covering it in place. (Southern Environmental Law Center)
• Anticipation is growing over a possible precedent-setting ruling by a judge in Virginia over how Dominion Virginia Power disposes of its ash. (Associated Press)
• At the second such hearing, opponents speak out against a Dominion Virginia Power coal ash disposal plan along the Elizabeth River. (Virginian-Pilot)
• Ash ponds in Lumberton and Moncure, North Carolina are among the few sites to be closed under legislation with the ash to be disposed of elsewhere. (Fayetteville Observer)
COAL:
• How the Sierra Club and non-profits in West Virginia and Ohio got control of a massive coal reserve. (Slate)
• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refuses to ensure a vote on extending federal pension and other benefits for retired coal miners, many of whom live in Kentucky and West Virginia. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
SOLAR: With three new systems, Augusta becomes the municipal solar leader in Georgia. (Augusta Chronicle)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Duke Energy is set to spend $1.5 million to develop charging stations throughout North Carolina. (Associated Press)
• Despite far fewer residents, the number of registered EVs in Asheville rivals that of larger North Carolina cities. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
• Tesla launches an “Electric Road Trip” marketing campaign including several stops in Florida, South Carolina and Virginia. (CleanTechnica)
HYDROPOWER: A Maryland company reaches an agreement to buy and upgrade four power plants along the Yadkin River in North Carolina. (Salisbury Post)
OFFSHORE DRILLING: Environmental groups claim drilling off North Carolina’s coast could cost the state nearly $2.2 billion in lost revenues. (WNCT)
CLIMATE: A Florida institute reports on health risks from Palm Beach to Key West linked to rising sea levels. (Medical Xpress)
COMMENTARY:
• North Carolina lawmakers are disobeying the state’s Constitution by hindering development of solar and wind energy. (Southeast Energy News)
• Virginia shouldn’t waste energy pursuing offshore wind. (The Virginian-Pilot)
• Two Birmingham residents personify a growing affinity for electric vehicles in Alabama. (Alabama Media Group)