UTILITIES:
• Could Duke Energy, Southern Co. and/or NextEra be suitors for TECO Energy, the parent company of Tampa Electric? (Charlotte Business Journal)
• A sale of TECO Energy is not seen as hurting Tampa in a major way. (The Tampa Tribune)
• Duke Energy concedes it needs to improve customer service after the most recent J.D. Power survey ranks it last in many categories. (Triad Business Journal)

CLIMATE: Some scientists and others are asking if it’s too late to protect South Florida from rising sea levels. (The Globe and Mail)

SOLAR:
• Florida Power & Light admits to supporting a new ballot push trying to counter a separate ballot initiative aimed at authorizing third-party electricity sales in Florida. (Palm Beach Post)
• Residents near Covington, Tennessee launch opposition to the proposed site for a community solar system. (The Commercial Appeal)

PIPELINES:
• Federal regulators want the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to consider a route that will not affect a pending historic district or a state wildlife management area in Virginia. (The Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe defies protestors in Roanoke and stands by his support for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, asserting it would be good for business. (The Daily Progress, Charlottesville)

WIND: Dominion Resources is assessing turbines that are less expensive and less technologically advanced than originally envisioned for wind systems off the Virginia coast. (Associated Press)

COAL PENSIONS: A pension fund has filed suit against Peabody Energy and Arch Coal over an alleged $800 million in liabilities as part of their bid to combine the companies, and move their headquarters to West Virginia. (St. Louis Business Journal)

COAL ASH: Duke Energy has chosen the Electric Power Research Institute to perform a state-required study on commercial uses for coal ash. (Charlotte Business Journal)

COAL:
• Hints begin to emerge how attorneys for former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship will defend his safety record leading up to the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion in West Virginia that killed 29 workers. (The Charleston Gazette)
• One of the world’s largest financial managers is slashing its holdings of coal company stocks. (EnergyWire)
• The pain tied to coal’s decline is particularly acute in West Virginia. (The New York Times)

GULF OIL WELLS: Five years after the Obama administration promised to plug unused wells in the Gulf, more drilling shafts are lingering for longer periods with only temporary sealing. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY:
• The politics of solar power in Florida have taken a decidedly dark turn. (Forbes)
• South Carolina municipalities and counties along the coast must figure out how they will handle rising sea levels and resulting floods. (The Island Packet)
• A retired U.S. Navy admiral argues for allowing Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia to share the revenue generated from offshore energy development. (The Greenville News)