COAL: Coal burning in Arkansas declined so much in 2015 that carbon emissions are below the level that would be required if the Clean Power Plan survives court challenges. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
ALSO:
• Southern Co. sees its credit ranking downgraded due to an SEC probe and rising costs at its Kemper coal-gasification plant in Mississippi. (Wall Street Journal)
• In a bid to attract new employers, West Virginia envisions transforming a 12,000-acre surface mine into an industrial and commercial site. (Area Development)
• The battle over a proposed rule to protect streams from coal mining intensifies. (Greenwire)
***SPONSORED LINK: Register now for WINDPOWER 2016 – the wind energy industry’s largest annual conference, May 23-26 in New Orleans. Register here. ***
SOLAR:
• A developer proposes a second solar project next to one under construction for Amazon Web Services on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. (Lancaster Farming)
• King George County, Virginia decides to lease land for a solar system that could create a new revenue stream for 25 or more years. (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star)
• Advocates in Florida have trouble agreeing on the best policy to promote solar. (Florida Politics)
• Virginia-based AES says utilities that engage about solar stand to benefit the most from it. (Greentech Media)
• A “Junior Solar Sprint” competition highlights students’ research projects at the Florida Solar Energy Center. (Florida Today)
COAL ASH:
• A deposition from the state epidemiologist says North Carolina turned its back on high levels of a suspected cancer-causing contaminant found near Duke Energy’s ash basins. (Winston-Salem Journal)
• Amid a flurry of tests, Virginia residents near Dominion Virginia Power’s ash ponds express growing concern over the safety of their drinking water. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• North Carolina officials criticize an environmental non-profit for spotlighting only partial information while claiming harmful metals in drinking water near ash ponds. (WTVD)
• A Georgia official says it will “go above and beyond” existing rules for disposing of ash. (WABE Public Radio)
CLIMATE: The Union of Concerned Scientists warns that suing oil companies over their grasp of climate change would not be legally sound. (Washington Free Beacon)
HYDROPOWER: Mississippi moves closer to generating electricity from dams. (Mississippi Today)
POLICY: Three Republican candidates vie to serve a six-year term on the Georgia Public Service Commission. (Savannah Morning News)
OIL & GAS:
• The West Virginia Attorney General takes aim at the Obama administration’s new rules to reduce methane emissions. (The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register)
• The Coast Guard continues to skim oil off the Gulf of Mexico after a Shell flow line leaked about 88,000 gallons. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
• A Houston company faces eight lawsuits in federal court after spilling about 12,500 gallons of oil into a Louisiana bayou. (The Acadiana Advocate)
PIPELINES:
• Competition for new pipelines through Virginia and West Virginia grows the risk of a capacity glut. (The Roanoke Times)
• A pipeline explosion in Pennsylvania prompts residents in Augusta County, Virginia to scrutinize the safety of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (Augusta News Leader)
• A Kentucky county considers giving zoning authorities the power to approve conversion of a natural gas pipeline to carry more volatile natural gas liquids. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
FRACKING: Contrary to previous assurances, Kentucky finds waste to be disposed of in a landfill designed for household garbage exceeds radioactivity limits. (Louisville Courier-Journal)
NUCLEAR: An environmental group calls for a public hearing on proposed design changes at the Plant Vogtle reactors under construction in Georgia. (Augusta Chronicle)
GRID: A utility task force co-chaired by the CEO of Southern Co. outlines how the industry is preparing for possible attacks on their networks. (EnergyWire)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: An EV maker is not living up to an agreement with Mississippi to hire 250 employees at is manufacturing plant in its Delta region. (Associated Press)
BLANKENSHIP TRIAL: After a judge denies his motion to remain free while he appeals his conviction, former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship begins his one-year sentence at a low-security prison in California. (Associated Press)
NATURAL GAS: A task force of officials from Asheville, North Carolina, environmental groups and Duke Energy begins studying how to avoid building a new gas-fired power plant there. (Asheville Citizen-Times)
***SPONSORED LINK: Register today for Solar Power Southeast, May 25-26 in Atlanta. This year’s event will include educational sessions as well as a completely sold out exhibit floor. Get a 15% discount with code SPSE16SACE. ***
EFFICIENCY: Athens, Georgia is converting about 4,300 roadway lights to LED bulbs. (Athens Banner-Herald)
COMMENTARY:
• Contrary to recent media reports, climate change is not why residents of Louisiana’s Isle de Jean Charles are moving away. (Houma Today)
• Scrutiny of the possibility of disposing of coal ash in a Georgia garbage landfill is growing. (Bitter Southerner)
• With clean energy growing in Republican districts in North Carolina and elsewhere, it’s time to recalibrate climate politics. (Eco Watch)
• Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe deserves more credit than he’s getting for protecting the environment. (The Virginian-Pilot)