COAL: Environmental groups reach a settlement to restore damage from mountaintop coal removal in West Virginia. (Associated Press)
ALSO:
• West Virginia regulators order Keystone Industries to cease operations at a surface mine near Kanawha State Forest. (Associated Press)
• A Kentucky program has shown success in helping out-of-work miners find new jobs, though often at lower pay. (Argus Media)
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PIPELINES:
• A Republican state representative in Georgia works to stop eminent domain powers sought by energy giant Kinder Morgan. (Southeast Energy News)
• The Sierra Club and other environmental groups sue to stop a recently approved natural gas pipeline from Alabama throughout Georgia into Florida. (Birmingham Business Journal)
WIND:
• New data and a map illustrate how emerging turbine technology is opening the Southeast U.S. to more wind power options. (Vox)
• The head of the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management foresees wind turbines off Virginia’s coast, eventually. (Virginian-Pilot)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A lawmaker in Alabama introduces a bill to enable Tesla to sell or lease its vehicles directly to consumers. (Alabama Media Group)
• An EV driver plots charging stations for a 140-mile drive in Southwest Florida. (Clean Technica)
OIL & GAS: Much of the industry’s infrastructure in southern Louisiana is at risk as sea levels continue rising. (Houma Today)
NUCLEAR: A leading developer of small modular nuclear reactors plans a meeting in Atlanta November 3 to attract potential supply partners. (Electric Energy Online)
CLIMATE: A new report seeks to build awareness of how increasingly vulnerable North Carolina’s coastline is to rising sea levels. (Public News Service)
SOLAR: A national solar company expands its financing and purchasing options in South Carolina. (Palmetto Business Daily)
COAL ASH: The North Carolina epidemiologist who resigned this month says public health workers lack confidence in the head of the state’s Deptartment of Health. (North Carolina Health News)
UTILITIES: Hearings begin today on Florida Power & Light’s request for a $1.3 billion rate increase. (Palm Beach Post)
POLICY: A new policy initiative at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill triggers concern among environmentalists and faculty who fear political pressure will cloud sound science. (Raleigh News & Observer)
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KENTUCKY: The Center for Applied Research focuses on the state’s future energy needs and resources. (CN|2)
COMMENTARY:
• The one thing lurking in the text of Florida’s solar Amendment 1 voters should be aware of. (SunSentinel)
• Should North Carolina officials inform citizens of the health risk associated with contaminants in their water supply tied to coal ash that fall below state standards? (SmithEnvironment Blog)
• A vote forsolar Amendment 4 on Florida’s Aug. 30 primary ballot is a vote for energy options. (Pensacola News Journal)
• Georgia regulators are right to enable more nuclear power to meet the state’s electricity needs. (The Newman Times-Herald / Greenpeace Energy Desk)