WIND: The Clean Line transmission project designed to move wind-generated power from Oklahoma to the Southeast begins seeking needed agreements with the TVA and regional power grids. (ReCharge)

ALSO:
• GE research suggests there’s no hard limit to wind and other sources of renewable energy in Virginia. (Wind Power Engineering)
• A major expo this year in New Orleans inspires southerners to envision wind’s potential throughout parts of the South. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
• The Department of Energy partners with a wind trade group to boost K-12 educational initiatives in North Carolina, Virginia and 10 other states. (EIN News)

SOLAR: A new report documents how a big share of solar’s latest growth is occurring in states without mandates, including Georgia, Mississippi and Arkansas. (Greentech Media)

COAL ASH:
• Despite a threatened veto, lawmakers in North Carolina move to reconstitute a commission separate from the governor to oversee ash disposal. (Associated Press)
Activists in south Georgia are on the lookout for how ash is making money for landfills there. (Mother Nature Network)

NUCLEAR:
• Greenpeace ranks the top 10 malfunctions at U.S. plants, including four at reactors in South Carolina and one each in Louisiana and Virginia. (EcoWatch)
• Despite rising costs, some area residents support Dominion Virginia Power’s reactors at its North Anna plant. (CBS 19 Newsplex)

CLIMATE:
• An international foundation recognizes Greater Miami, Nashville and Louisville for their work to build resiliency against climate change. (News on 6)
• The University of Miami launches a coordinated research effort to explore climate threats to south Florida. (Huffington Post)

NATURAL GAS: As new gas-fired generators flood the market in the PJM Interconnection, wholesale power prices plunge. (RTO Insider)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: West Virginia and Texas demand the EPA stop spending federal tax dollars to implement the Clean Power Plan at least until the Supreme Court rules. (The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register)

PIPELINES: Virginia signals it will carefully enforce how the proposed Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines comply with erosion and sediment controls during construction. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: North Carolina turns down Tesla’s bid for a second retail site there. (Hybrid Cars)

RENEWABLES: Almost two-thirds of executives in a new survey estimate renewable sources will supply half of U.S. power generation by 2045. (Platts)

BIOMASS: North Carolina falls short again on meeting its goal for converting animal waste to electricity. (Raleigh News & Observer)

COAL: West Virginians share condolences over the loss of respected industry executive Ben Hatfield as two men are arrested in connection with his apparent murder. (Charleston Gazette-Mail, Associated Pres)

FRACKING: Pinellas County, Florida moves toward a final step to prohibit hydraulic fracturing. (SaintPetersBlog)

OIL & GAS: The Bayou region of Louisiana launches a web site and slates a job fair to help laid-off workers find jobs. (The New Orleans Advocate)

COMMENTARY:
Legislation in North Carolina is the latest attempt to let Duke Energy off the hook over how it’s trying to dispose of coal ash. (Southern Environmental Law Center)
• We can take the uncertainty about coal ash disposal but we shouldn’t have to fear our water. (Charlotte Observer)
• Ignoring the impacts of climate change only makes solutions more painful and expensive. (Virginian-Pilot)
Solar farms in North Carolina are creating a land-use conundrum. (Raleigh News & Observer)

Jim Pierobon, a policy, marketing and social media strategist, was a founding contributor to Southeast Energy News. He passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer in 2018.

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