OFFSHORE DRILLING:
• Hundreds of small businesses call on South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to oppose drilling off the state’s coast. (The State)
• Hillary Clinton says a new assessment is needed at drilling off the Southeast coastal states. (The Post and Courier)
RENEWABLE TAX CREDITS: The pending phase-down of the solar Investment Tax Credit through 2022 and wind Production Tax Credit through 2019 still faces final votes to pass Congress. (Greentech Media)
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WIND:
• A judge refused to toss a citizen lawsuit seeking to block the Amazon Wind Farm under construction in eastern North Carolina and set the dispute for trial. (Raleigh News & Observer)
• A judge dismisses a lawsuit that could have impeded development of Virginia’s first wind farm near Roanoke. (The Roanoke Times)
PIPELINES: The EPA pulls back from “very significant concerns” about the Sabal Trail natural gas pipeline set to run from Alabama and Georgia to north Florida. (Palm Beach Post)
ENERGY STORAGE: A deal enabling Virginia-based AES to access advanced batteries from a South Korean manufacturer is the latest evidence of the coming revolution. (The Washington Post)
POWER GRID: Industry and federal officials are creating a playbook for restoring service after a crippling natural disaster or cyber attack. (EnergyWire)
SOLAR: The Navy and the Air Force begin construction with Gulf Power of three large-scale solar systems in Florida. (U.S. Air Force)
OIL & GAS: A Louisiana State University professor warns the benefits of exporting U.S. oil are “grossly overstated.” (The Advocate)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Clean energy advocates protest what they call a sure-to-fail state plan to curb carbon emissions from power plants. (Charlotte Observer)
• A clean energy advocate testifies to the Clean Power Plan’s economic and environmental benefits for Volunteer State. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Georgia Power is one of only two utilities outside of California with a plan to help build a charging network. (Energy Fuse)
2010 GULF OIL SPILL: Conservation officials target $21 million to help restore seafood ecosystems off Alabama’s coast. (Birmingham Business Journal)
BLANKENSHIP TRIAL: Federal prosecutors argue against lowering bail or reducing pre-sentencing restrictions for the former CEO of Massey Energy. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
COMMENTARY:
• The Paris climate agreement essentially requires an end to coal-burning within the next half-century. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• The former chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission rails against cost overruns and delays at plants under construction in Georgia and South Carolina. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
• The TVA’s backward steps on clean energy are troubling. (Johnston City Press)
• The public has until January 4 to speak out against proposed oil exploration in Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve. (NRDC)