COAL ASH:
• Duke Energy’s guilty plea could be a turning point in how it, and the industry, deal with coal ash. (RockinghamNow.com)
• Government water samples taken near coal ash ponds in North Carolina are inconclusive about health threats. (WRAL-TV, Raleigh-Durham)
• Duke Energy begins removing coal ash from its W. S. Lee power plant in Belton, South Carolina to a landfill in Homer, Georgia. (Charlotte Business Journal)
COAL:
• Court rulings require any federal approval of mining projects on federal lands to assess coal’s environmental impact. (Associated Press)
• Alpha Natural Resources has cut 71 jobs at mines in Kentucky and Virginia. (Associated Press)
• Regulators find the death of a Union County, Kentucky coal miner last December could have been prevented with more safeguards involving moving equipment. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
• Black lung disease was the leading cause of death in Kentucky and West Virginia from 2000-2010. (WFPL Radio, Louisville)
SOLAR:
• Bulk-purchase cooperatives are sprouting across West Virginia. (The Charleston Gazette)
• The founder of a solar startup in Miami decries the state’s posture toward clean technologies. (WUSF Radio)
• The proposed solar amendment to Florida’s constitution could enable many Floridians to generate their own electricity. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
• Knox County, Tennessee is to decide May 26 on purchasing solar systems for three county buildings. (Knoxville News Sentinel)
POLLUTION: Reduced emissions from TVA’s power plants are helping reduce ozone levels. (Times-News, Kingsport, TN)
OFFSHORE DRILLING:
• A decade-old leak from a Gulf of Mexico drilling rig could continue for a century or more if left unchecked. (Associated Press)
HANDS ACROSS THE SAND EVENTS:
• Environmental advocates in Georgia joined hands over the weekend to promote clean energy and demonstrate opposition to the planned Palmetto Pipeline. (Savannah Morning News)
• Charlotte-area clean energy advocates joined hands to spotlight the dangers of fossil fuels. (WSOC-TV)
• Coastal residents protested plans for drilling offshore South Carolina. (The Post and Courier)
COMMENTARY:
• Why did Duke Energy pass up video inspections that could have helped prevent the Dan River coal ash spill? (Charlotte Business Journal)
• This editorial urges Virginia Beach to reconsider its endorsement for offshore drilling. (The Virginian-Pilot)
• South Carolina Gov. Haley should reverse her support for offshore drilling. (The Post and Courier)