COAL ASH: In a new study paid for by advocates represented in a lawsuit against Duke Energy, Duke University scientists find harmful effects can last years even after ash ponds have closed. (Raleigh News & Observer)

ALSO:
• Duke University scientists find two coal ash ponds in Virginia are among 21 facilities in five states leaching contaminants into surrounding water. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• A Duke Energy official says environmental groups are trying to scare people over air quality around an ash storage site in North Carolina. (Fayetteville Observer)

SOLAR:
• Farmers in rural counties are among the newest backers of solar energy in North Carolina. (Greensboro News & Record)
• The coalition of utilities backing a constitutional amendment in Florida that would impose new rules on solar spent more than $6.5 million on advertising in May. (SaintPetersBlog)
• A second solar farm is planned for Stokes County, North Carolina. (Winston-Salem Journal)

UTILITIES:
• The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture is helping rural communities in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia with renewable energy and efficiency projects. (Utility Dive)
• Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas agree with North Carolina’s consumer advocate on added conditions of their merger, including lowering ratepayers’ bills for two years. (Charlotte Observer)
• New Orleans-based Entergy outlines its shift to a smarter grid and how it hopes to make money with merchant nuclear power plants. (EnergyWire)
• North Carolina utility regulator Edward Finley Jr. is the new chairman of the electricity committee at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. (Daily Energy Insider)

RENEWABLES: A new lease agreement between Apple and Catawba County, North Carolina clears the way for construction of a power plant that harnesses landfill gas. (Hickory Record)

FRACKING: A federal judge rules state and federal law preempts an ordinance in a West Virginia county banning fracking waste. (Beckley Register-Herald)

EFFICIENCY:  North Carolina State University; Cree, Inc. in North Carolina; and Lumenari, Inc. in Lexington, Kentucky are among several organizations receiving funding from the Department of Energy to accelerate advances in LED lighting products. (EIN)

TECHNOLOGY:
• A team from Central Florida University won a Department of Energy “Cleantech University Prize” for developing a sensor that helps optimize fuel cell operations. (U.S. Dept. of Energy)
• Researchers at Georgia Tech and a nanoscience center in China finish building a renewable system that fits on top of buildings and uses both wind and solar. (iHLS)

NATURAL GAS: Flaring of excess gas in West Virginia and elsewhere seems likely to continue despite rules designed to reduce it. (The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register)

PIPELINES:
• A woman fights to save her rural land from the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline in central Virginia. (Washington Post)
• Duke Energy pushes back against opponents of its proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline with local supporters. (Rocky Mount Telegram)

GRID: A large-scale pilot test of an “ultra-capacitor” battery designed to help balance power flows on Duke Energy’s power grid goes live. (Energy Storage News)

COAL: Retirees from seven states plan to stage a rally tomorrow in Lexington, Kentucky calling for extension of their federal health care benefits. (West Virginia Metro News)

COMMENTARY:
• The TVA claims leadership on coal ash cleanup while refusing to do what’s needed to protect the environment and public health. (Southern Environmental Law Center)
• Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has an abysmal climate record. (The Washington Post)
• Federal regulators should heed the growing opposition to drilling off the Atlantic coastline and ban seismic testing. (The Post and Courier)
• Despite semi-annual reviews, Georgia Power’s nuclear reactor construction projects demand more transparency. (Atlanta Progressive News)

CORRECTION: An item in Friday’s Digest, based on information in the Charlotte Business Journal, incorrectly stated that a study recommended allowing third-party solar sales in North Carolina. The article has been corrected and is posted here.