COAL ASH: A North Carolina epidemiologist says Duke Energy used its connections in state government to try to override health recommendations on water near coal ash ponds. (Winston-Salem Journal)
ALSO:
• Alabama, Georgia and Florida are failing to regulate coal ash under new federal rules, says a regional environmental group. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
• Commissioners in Anson County, North Carolina prepare to block any ash headed its way. (Anson Record)
• Dominion Virginia Power tries to assure the media and public its dumping of ash wastewater into large creek in northern Virginia is safe. (Prince William Times)
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RENEWABLES:
• Dominion Virginia Power links up with a new Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance aimed at helping utilities meet growing corporate demand for clean power. (GreenBiz)
• A bill in the North Carolina Senate to add regulatory and permit requirements appears to going nowhere, for now. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Thought leaders in West Virginia gather to focus on job-creating opportunities in renewable sources of electricity. (The Herald-Dispatch)
OIL & GAS:
• The Obama administration issues the first regulations designed to cut methane emissions. (New York Times)
• More than 88,000 gallons of crude oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico south of Louisiana due to a leak that has been capped. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
SOLAR:
• Nowhere is the divide between advocates and utilities over solar’s value more stark than in the Southeast. (Utility Dive)
• What would be the largest rooftop solar system in Tennessee is planned for a new IKEA store in Memphis. (The Chattanoogan)
FRACKING: St. Petersburg, Florida prepares to pass an anti-fracking ordinance by June. (Saint Peters Blog)
COAL: The federal government challenges Alpha Natural Resources’ restructuring plan signaling it ignores the possibility it may need to liquidate. (SNL)
GRID:
• A national non-profit applauds South Carolina and two other states for “much improved” interconnection standards for renewable energy systems. (Interstate Renewable Energy Council)
• Utilities push back against a federal proposal to allow private citizens to sue parties seen as trying to manipulate power markets via regional grids that include several Southeast states. (EnergyWire, SNL)
UTILITIES:
• Florida-based NextEra Energy reportedly has renewed interest in acquiring power delivery company Oncor. (Bloomberg)
• Dominion Resources unveils a plan for a new LEED-certified headquarters complex in Richmond, Virginia. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
OFFSHORE DRILLING: An expert answers questions about seismic testing off the coast of North Carolina. (Coastal Review)
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EFFICIENCY: The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s “zero-energy” Brock Center in Virginia is formally declared a “living building” by the International Living Future Institute. (Virginian-Pilot)
COMMENTARY:
• A proposed offer of 100% renewable electricity for Virginia customers of Appalachian Power heeds demand but also blocks competition. (Power for the People VA blog)
• A cry for coal ash relief in North Carolina. (Raleigh News & Observer)