COAL:
• Troubles with the Kemper “clean coal” plant put Mississippi Power on the brink of bankruptcy. (Greentech Media)
• In the last of their 16 motions, attorneys for former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship argued that evidence of his finances is irrelevant in his upcoming jury trial over the deadly 2010 Upper Big Branch mine explosion in West Virginia. (WSAZ-TV, Charleston)
• A federal judge threw out a plea deal struck between prosecutors and a defendant charged in a widespread kickback scheme involving an Arch Coal mining complex in West Virginia. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
SOLAR:
• Lakeland Electric, the third largest public utility in Florida, is set to draw on a now completed 6 megawatt solar system built by SunEdison using a 25-year power purchase agreement. (PennEnergy)
• The parent company of Dominion Virginia Power continues to expand its solar portfolio in Utah and other states far ahead of its solar projects in Virginia. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: Virginia is well-positioned to meet, even exceed, its emissions targets under the Clean Power Plan, an environmental group asserts. (Daily Press)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A North Carolina man who was working on a new Tesla Motors auto charging station in Norfolk, Virginia has died. (Associated Press)
SUSTAINABILITY: The push for sustainable sports stadiums, like one under construction in Atlanta, draws scrutiny if they only exist for a couple of decades. (WABE Public Radio, Atlanta)
POLLUTION: Further progress in clearing the air over Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains could extend how far one can see from about 50 miles to more than 100 miles. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy blog)
KENTUCKY: Pressure is mounting to open a scheduled closed-door coal association meeting in October featuring both major party candidates for governor. (WUKY Public Radio)
ARKANSAS: Agents of the U.S. Office of Inspector General Wednesday raided the offices of a North Little Rock energy company and its in-house subcontractor which has received almost $20 million worth of federal contracts. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
OIL & GAS:
• Federal Gulf of Mexico lease sales declined amid the slump in oil prices. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
• The offshore oil and gas industry is adapting, but risks remain 10 years after Katrina. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
UTILITIES: Duke Energy received FAA approval to test drone technology for surveying power lines, solar facilities and dams in North Carolina. (WSOC-TV Charlotte)
COMMENTARY: Here are four recommendations for the TVA’s board before it approves the utility’s integrated resource plan on Friday. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy blog)