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)

Jim Pierobon, a policy, marketing and social media strategist, was a founding contributor to Southeast Energy News. He passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer in 2018.

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