CARBON CAPTURE: On the heels of the Kemper plant failure, a bipartisan group of 25 senators, including West Virginia’s Shelley Moore Capito, plans to introduce a bill to strengthen tax credits for carbon capture and storage projects. (Washington Post)

COAL:
• The North Carolina DEQ announced it will organize a science advisory board to make recommendations, after its new standards for drinking water contaminants have faced criticism from hundreds of people who live near Duke Energy plants. (Progressive Pulse)
• North Carolina residents say Duke Energy shouldn’t “pass their mistakes on to the land owner” after the electric company asks regulators to allow it to charge consumers for the cleanup of coal ash. (Roanoke Times)
• A federal appeals court upheld more than $1 million in fines ordered against one of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s coal companies for unpaid bills. (Associated Press)
• National Public Radio examines what can bring jobs to coal country. (NPR)

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GRID: A conservation group is asking the U.S. District Court to block the Army Corps of Engineers permit that allows Dominion Energy to build a power line across the James River in Virginia. (Daily Press)

WIND: Appalachian Power says acquiring two wind farms should benefit the company thanks to tax credits and a reduced reliance on outside energy purchases. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

WEST VIRGINIA: West Virginia’s tax collections from natural gas, coal and oil production in June again exceeded estimates, showing a rebound in the state’s energy sector. (Associated Press)

NATURAL GAS:
• The Sierra Club objects to Florida Power & Light’s plans to replace its aging Lauderdale Plant with an updated natural gas plant, saying the utility should be exploring renewable energy options. (Palm Beach Post)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Paradise natural gas plant in Kentucky is now in operation. (14 News)

OIL & GAS: A member of the New Orleans city council wants to join six other parishes that have filed lawsuits against oil and gas companies for damaging wetlands. (Times-Picayune)

CLIMATE: The number of coastal communities affected by significant flooding from rising sea levels is expected to nearly double in less than 20 years, leaving “tough decisions” for local governments. (National Geographic, Bloomberg)

COMMENTARY:
• The Trump administration wants to expand drilling off Florida’s coast “despite no demonstrable need for the oil.” (Herald-Tribune)
• Attempts to open U.S. coasts to offshore drilling will be met with a fight, as the federal government puts “oil industry profits over people yet again.” (NRDC)