CLIMATE: FEMA says it will only approve disaster preparedness funds for states that have a climate mitigation plan. (InsideClimate News)
ALSO: A Florida state employee says he was suspended for talking about climate change. (SaintPetersBlog)
COAL:
• A former Kentucky mine inspector says he was paid $46,000 in bribes by a state lawmaker to cover up safety and environmental violations. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
• Kentucky’s manufacturing sector has a major stake in the state’s energy transition. (EnergyWire)
• A Tennessee newspaper reporter asks an EPA official “if the Obama administration would like to see the coal industry go away.” (Kingsport Times-News)
COAL ASH:
• Environmental advocates criticize Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe for supporting a federal bill that would weaken coal ash oversight. (Associated Press)
• Democrats in Congress say the bill is premature, as EPA coal ash standards have only recently been finalized. (The Hill)
• A North Carolina coal ash oversight meeting is canceled following a court ruling affecting the way its members are appointed. (Charlotte Observer)
SOLAR:
• While the state lags the rest of the country, the solar industry is still growing in West Virginia. (WDTV)
• A Florida businesswoman shares her story of breaking into a male-dominated solar industry. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
OFFSHORE DRILLING:
• Environmentalists warn plans for more offshore drilling on the Atlantic coast threaten the tourism industry. (Associated Press)
• Falling oil prices mean fewer bids to drill in the Gulf of Mexico. (Associated Press)
POLLUTION:
• Alabama residents seek compensation for health problems they say are caused by coal trains idling near their homes. (AL.com)
• Virginia officials approve a cleanup plan for a coal plant along the Potomac. (Washington Post)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Nissan donates an electric vehicle charger to a central Florida university, the first charging station in the area. (News 13)
COMMENTARY:
• “Utilities, like most big, incumbent businesses, hate competitive markets.” (Grist)
• Florida’s debate on solar power has already been hashed out in Georgia. (Tampa Bay Times)