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)