COAL ASH: Duke Energy says lawyers for an environmental group leaked a North Carolina toxicologist’s deposition leading to a news report which triggered the latest controversy there over water safety near its ash ponds. (WFAE Public Radio)
COAL:
• In a widely anticipated move, federal officials promise 3,400 jobs for displaced coal workers throughout Appalachia. (Charleston Gazette Mail)
• Federal officials detail about $39 million in grants earmarked for displaced coal workers in Alabama, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia. (Fox News)
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OIL & GAS:
• Companies show record low interest in bidding for drilling rights at a Gulf of Mexico lease sale that was streamed from the New Orleans Superdome. (The Hill)
• A Louisiana company is trying to sell 90,000 acres of leaseholds for drilling in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. (Pittsburgh Business Times)
• The City Commission in Rome, Georgia calls on state lawmakers to more strictly regulate oil and gas drilling in a regional river basin. (Rome News-Tribune)
SOLAR:
• Virginia Solar United Neighborhoods and a group in Hampton Roads launch a bulk-purchasing co-op in the state’s Middle Peninsula. (Daily Press)
• What the solar Amendment 4 and solar Amendment 1 on Florida’s ballot Aug. 30 and Nov. 8 respectively mean for Florida. (WLRN Public Radio)
• The falling cost of solar energy in seven charts. (Vox)
• Walmart eyes solar systems for its Florida stores if Amendment 4 on the state’s ballot next Tuesday passes. (Orlando Sentinel)
• A Georgia-based company recruits workers to build solar systems for Dominion Virginia Power. (CBS 19 Newsplex)
BIOMASS:
• Booming wood pellet production could lead to an industry toehold soon in forests throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. (Bay Journal)
• A bioenergy initiative in North Carolina seeks proposals for researching and developing forestry-based feedstocks. (Caldwell Journal)
BATTERIES: North Carolina-based Alevo moves closer to commercial deployment of its energy storage system. (Greentech Media)
CLIMATE: More than 12,000 homes in Virginia Beach would be underwater if sea levels rose six feet, an analysis shows. (Washington Post)
2010 BP OIL SPILL: Biloxi, Missisippi hires attorneys to file a claim against other companies involved in the spill. (SunHerald)
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ACADEMIA: A renewable energy expert leaves the University of North Carolina-Charlotte for a new research post at Clemson University. (news release)
COMMENTARY:
• Duke Energy should back off its push to identify the source of an Associated Press report that cited a deposition transcript and embarrassed North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory. (Raleigh News & Observer)
• There is a “blood money” feel to the Obama administration’s grants for displaced coal workers in Appalachia. (West Virginia Metro News)
• Two Florida House members urge a vote in favor of the state’s solar Amendment 4 on the Aug. 30 ballot. (SunSentinel)
• The Clean Power Plan will help preserve national parks which celebrate their 100th birthday today. (Roanoke Times)