COAL:
• Appalachian Power says the cost to upgrade four retired power plants in Virginia and West Virginia were too high to even estimate. (Platts)
• The sixth defendant of 10 charged in alleged West Virginia kickback scheme is sentenced to 41 months in jail. (The Charleston Gazette)
West Virginia regulators cited Murray Energy for a liquid spill at its coal preparation plant in Benwood. (Associated Press)
• The Kentucky gubernatorial race heats up after candidates addressed coal’s future at a private industry retreat in Virginia. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
• A judge relocates and delays until October 1 the criminal trial of former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

SOLAR:
• Stakeholders in West Virginia await a study on whether residential solar owners drive up costs for ratepayers without solar. (The Charleston Gazette)
• Duke Energy set to purchase the output of a 100 megawatt solar facility planned for south of Charlotte. (Dallas Business Journal)
• Solar systems at six public schools in Albemarle County, Virginia will save $80,000 over 20 years.  (Charlottesville Daily Progress)
Greenpeace is seen as key to Amazon’s decision to build an 80 megawatt solar facility in Virginia. (GreenBiz)
• The Pennyrile Rural Electric Coop is working with the TVA to develop a 5 megawatt solar facility at the U.S. Army’s Fort Campbell in Kentucky. (Electric Co-op Today)

UTILITIES:
Duke Energy and Southern Co. are among eight utilities that will stockpile transformers to recover from emergencies. (EnergyWire)
Duke Energy is trying to salvage a stock divestment over its ownership of coal-fired power plants. (Charlotte Business Journal)

WIND:
• Sen. Lamar Alexander challenges a planned transmission line that would bring wind power from Texas to the Tennessee Valley. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
• Clean energy advocates want wind power placed on this week’s Georgia Public Service Commission agenda. (WABE Public Radio, Atlanta)

CLIMATE: Meet Urban Offsets, a North Carolina startup that works with cities to establish carbon offset credits which are sold to corporations. (Triad Business Journal)

PIPELINES:
• A U.S. House panel has passed a bill that would create 10 natural gas pipeline corridors through federal lands. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
Kinder Morgan’s push for the Palmetto Pipeline in Georgia draws fresh complaints after the state rejects its planned route. (Savannah Morning News)
• The oil and gas boom is fueling fights over pipeline routes and eminent domain claims.  (Atlanta Constitution-Journal)

OIL & GAS:
• Cheniere Energy plans to expand its liquefied natural gas production and export facilities near New Orleans. (The Times-Picayune)
• Sales of oil and gas drilling rights in Louisiana surge due mostly to bids from a Chalmette land company. (The Times-Picayune)

WORKFORCE: To boost qualified job applicants, a youth academy in central Florida spotlights new forms of energy. (Ocala Star Banner)

FRACKING: Geologists continue to search for why west Alabama experienced earthquakes last November. (Tuscaloosa News)

COMMENTARY:
• Voters should hold the individuals they elect accountable for how they respond to climate change(The Virginian-Pilot)
• Americans’ collective indifference to climate change baffles Germans. (The Albany Herald, Georgia)
• A professor emeritus at Virginia Tech espouses a bright future for solar energy. (The Roanoke Times)

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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