COAL ASH: Dominion Virginia Power’s stockpile of coal ash near Chesapeake is more than three times larger a previous estimate, a court filing reveals. (Virginian-Pilot)
ALSO:
• North Carolina lawmakers hold off on overriding Gov. Pat McCrory’s veto of an ash cleanup bill amid apparent behind-the-scenes negotiations with Duke Energy. (WRAL)
• Limits of a pollutant are under scrutiny as a battle over how Dominion Virginia Power manages coal ash disposal heats up. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• A lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club against Dominion Virginia Power is set to be heard June 21 in a federal court in Richmond. (WAVY)
SOLAR:
• The rollout of community solar options by electric cooperatives in South Carolina will vary and could total 5 MW of capacity. (Moultrie News)
• Citing its “melting pot” attraction, German solar company Conergy relocates its U.S. headquarters to Miami from Denver. (South Florida Business Journal)
• Beginning today, the Louisville Sustainability Council is holding four workshops to help area residents and businesses learn about rooftop systems. (Louisville Courier-Journal)
• Kids in a southwest Virginia town learn about sustainable energy inside a solar-powered, retrofitted box car. (WSLS)
NATURAL GAS:
• How, and if, Duke Energy and Asheville cooperate on the North Carolina town’s energy future is being watched by many nationwide. (ClimateWire)
• The North Carolina Court of Appeals orders utility regulators to conduct a proceeding over a $10 million bond it seeks to impose on NC Warn for its opposition to a proposed Duke Energy gas plant in Asheville. (Mountain Xpress)
• NC Warn files a federal complaint alleging a U.S. official tried to hide the severity of methane leaks across the gas industry in two reports. (Indy Week)
FRACKING: A Florida county unanimously approves an ordinance to ban fracking. (WTSP)
EFFICIENCY:
• Two new reports by an Appalachian environmental group document how home improvements in North Carolina can save families money and reduce overall power demand. (Mountain Xpress)
• An economist focusing on North Carolina finds a low-income family can spend more than 20 percent of its household income on energy. (The Atlantic)
GENERATION: A subsidiary of Apple files for the authority to sell wholesale power in the Southeast and other regions of the U.S. (Energy Manager Today)
COAL:
• A federal judge wants more information before he decides to order a coal company to clean up mining pollution plaguing two streams in West Virginia. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• A retired Kentucky coal miner with black lung disease fights to make sure no one else gets it. (Huffington Post)
• Federal labor officials say another $4.3 million is headed to West Virginia to help out-of-work coal miners. (WVVA)
NUCLEAR: Regulators scrutinize Georgia Power’s bid for ratepayers to foot the bill for studying the need for more reactors. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
GRID:
• New rules in the PJM power grid could complicate responses to surging demand. (Utility Dive)
• Federal regulators approve the first agreement to connect stored electricity in MISO. (RTO Insider)
TRANSMISSION: A Virginia state senator riles at efforts to stymie the approval of a large power line over the James River sought by Dominion Virginia Power. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
COMMENTARY:
• The Southeast needs smart policies to enable local renewables to grow. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
• As costs for nuclear reactors under construction in Georgia and South Carolina rise, here are five reasons the industry continues to falter. (Tampa Bay Times)
• Virginia keeps taking steps backwards by allowing Dominion Virginia Power to seal decades of leaking coal ash in place. (Southern Environmental Law Center)
• The standoff between North Carolina lawmakers Gov. Pat McCrory over managing coal ash looks more like a fuss over jurisdiction than a disagreement over policy. (Raleigh News & Observer)
CORRECTION: An item in yesterday’s Daily Digest misstated the location and fuel source of a waste-to-energy facility under construction in Tennessee. The plant is located in the town of Lebanon, not Nashville, and is designed to use wood, chipped tires and wastewater treatment sludge for fuel.