SOLAR:
• In a 4-3 vote, the Florida Supreme Court authorizes a utility-backed constitutional amendment on its November general election ballot, critics vow to defeat it. (Miami Herald, Orlando Weekly)
• Here’s how the proposed solar amendment in Florida will read on its November ballot. (Saint Peters Blog)
ALSO: A Louisville, Kentucky resident’s rooftop solar system collides with a neighborhood’s historic preservation rules. (Louisville Courier-Journal)
***SPONSORED LINK: It’s time to register for WINDPOWER 2016 – the wind energy industry’s largest annual conference. This year, the conference will be held from May 23-26 in New Orleans. Register here. ***
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• 135,000 — and counting — pre-order Tesla’s new $35,000 Model 3 as it draws hundreds to its showrooms, including one near Atlanta. (The Wall Street Journal / Atlanta Business Chronicle)
• Tesla spars with auto dealers at a hearing over its proposed retail outlet in Richmond, Virginia. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
TRANSMISSION: Wind-generated power via the interstate Clean Line project could offer power to utilities in North Carolina. (Public News Service)
COAL ASH:
• A concrete company is negotiating to buy some of Duke Energy’s coal ash for building roads and bridges. (Charlotte Observer)
• Excavation of a large Duke Energy disposal site could take until 2032, three years longer than it previously stated. (Hickory Record)
COAL:
• Thousands of miners and supporters from Kentucky, West Virginia and elsewhere are set to rally today near Pittsburgh over bankrupt companies dumping their benefits. (West Virginia Metro News)
• Ahead of next Wednesday’s sentencing, convicted coal executive Don Blankenship asks to remain free pending an appeal. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
CLIMATE: Alabama’s attorney general joins Oklahoma in saying a New York-led investigation into ExxonMobil’s climate disclosures stifles the debate on climate. (Bloomberg)
NUCLEAR: A Virginia company unveils a fuel for reactors that it claims will make plants safer and less expensive to operate. (MIT Technology Review)
EFFICIENCY: An environmental education center on Virginia’s coast is set to be certified as the newest “Living Building” in the world. (Triple Pundit)
***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. ***
TECHNOLOGY: Southern Company opens an innovation center at Georgia Tech. (Birmingham Business Journal)
COMMENTARY:
• Coal ash cleanup is paying off in South Carolina. (Southern Environmental Law Center)
• Solar energy can help farmers in North Carolina and elsewhere stay in business. (Shelby Star)
• The head of an economic development group in eastern North Carolina makes the case for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (Fayetteville Observer)
• Defending Florida’s environment depends on beating back multiple oil industry initiatives. (Earth Island Journal)
• An attorney for Virginia’s Chamber of Commerce slams the Obama administration’s rejection of drilling off the Atlantic coast. (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star)