SOLAR: Duke Energy and solar developers in the Carolinas reach a major agreement to clear a backlog of interconnection requests and reform the process for connecting to the utility’s grid. (PV Magazine)
ALSO: Arkansas school districts are installing solar projects that will cut energy costs, reduce carbon emissions, and provide educational opportunities. (KTHV)
***SPONSORED LINK: National Clean Energy Week Policy Makers Symposium is September 21-25. Register to hear from members of Congress and leading clean energy innovators. Register today at https://nationalcleanenergyweek.org.***
CLIMATE: South Carolina’s Chamber of Commerce has “deep concern” about Charleston’s lawsuit seeking climate damages from large oil companies. (Post and Courier)
OFFSHORE DRILLING:
• A federal judge asks the Trump administration to explain how the president’s surprise and partial offshore drilling moratorium this week relates to a previous executive order encouraging energy exploration and production in federal waters. (Post and Courier)
• In a surprise move, a company seeking to conduct seismic testing for oil and gas potential off the coast of North Carolina withdraws its application. (OBX Today)
PIPELINES:
• A Black neighborhood in Memphis has had little say in a pipeline project that could hurt property values and threaten the city’s water supply. (MLK50)
• A Massachusetts woman pleads guilty in Virginia to trespassing in connection to a protest against the Mountain Valley Pipeline. (Roanoke Times)
• A gas line ruptures in a central Florida city sparking a massive fire and neighborhood evacuation. (ClickOrlando.com)
OIL & GAS: Over 1,000 gallons of oil and chemicals spilled into the Chattahoochee River during a power plant fire in Georgia on Sunday. (Rome News-Tribune)
EFFICIENCY: A Tennessee school board approves $13.7 million worth of energy efficiency upgrades after a system-wide energy audit. (Rogersville Review)
BIOMASS: Several groups plan to participate in a caravan protest in Columbia, South Carolina, today against a wood chip pellet producer’s request to expand a facility. (SC Now)
COAL:
• People who live near Tennessee’s Bull Run power plant share thoughts on coal ash cleanup and the future of the site at an online forum. (Oakridger)
• U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia tours a West Virginia coal mine complex and touts the importance of coal to the nation’s economy. (WSAZ)
CLIMATE: “More heat, less beaches.” Art installations in Tampa and Orlando attempt to warn residents about the impact of climate change. (Miami Herald)
COMMENTARY: A truly diverse energy mix — including renewables and natural gas —is good for West Virginia’s economy, writes a landowner advocate. (Gazette-Mail)