PIPELINES: FERC’s final environmental review of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline found adverse says if Dominion Energy uses proper mitigation techniques, most of the project’s environmental impacts could be reduced to “less-than-significant” levels. (Associated Press)
ALSO:
• An area that was cherished by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s father is a key battleground in the fight over the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, and opponents see the governor as their last “line of defense.” (Southeast Energy News)
• Meanwhile, one environmental group says FERC’s statement on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline “solely serves the private corporations and industries that fund it” and the Sierra Club says the agency is “nothing more than a rubber stamp for fracked gas pipelines.” (Blue Virginia, EcoWatch)
• Supporters of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline are pleased with FERC’s final environmental assessment. (WRAL)
• A group of opponents in Virginia will continue fighting the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline project following FERC’s assessment. (NBC 29)
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NUCLEAR:
• A bankruptcy judge approved Southern Co.’s takeover of its Summer nuclear plant expansion in Georgia. (E&E News; subscription)
• Miami commissioners will consider this week a $27 million settlement with Florida Power & Light to bury Turkey nuclear power plant transmission lines. (Miami Herald)
HYDRO: The City of Tallahassee has decided to stop operations at a state-owned hydroelectric facility as it prepares to triple its solar generating capacity within two years. (Tallahassee Democrat)
WIND: Wind developer Avangrid is touting the successful Amazon wind project in North Carolina, as a bill that would suspend permits for new wind farms awaits Gov. Roy Cooper’s signature. (Triangle Business Journal)
COAL ASH: A Tennessee state senator wants officials to suspend permits for water wells at the site of the new Tennessee Valley Authority plant in Memphis and further investigate contaminants found in area groundwater. (Daily News)
COAL:
• The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has cited one of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s family companies with safety violations, saying they were the root cause a worker’s death in February, according to a new report. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• A coal company with two mines in West Virginia wants a federal transportation board to resolve delays with a railroad system it uses to transport coal. (Associated Press)
• A look at two pending lawsuits – one federal and one state – against the TVA’s coal plant near Nashville. (Tennessean)
COMMENTARY: The president of the Florida State Conference of the NAACP says President Donald Trump should visit other parts of Florida, not just Mar-a-Lago, to see the effects of climate change on the state. (Sun Sentinel)
CLARIFICATION: An item in Friday’s digest referring to DEQ hearings for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline omitted the state — North Carolina.