UTILITIES:
• A bill headed for Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s signature would revise rules for how the state utility commission sets electric rates which consumer advocates asserted were weakened by utilities’ political influence. (The Tampa Tribune)
• Another bill headed for Scott’s signature would allow Duke Energy to issue bonds to cover $1.4 billion in operating costs prior to the shutdown of its Crystal River nuclear plant. (Saint Peters Blog)
CLIMATE: PolitiFact Florida declares “false” a claim by Marco Rubio that climate initiatives would have a “devastating” impact on the U.S. economy. (WUSF Public Radio)
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY: Enviva Holdings, which operates five wood-pellet production plants in the southeast U.S. and export terminals in Virginia and Alabama, has gone public raising $200 million. (Washington Business Journal)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• EV shoppers and dealers are facing a June 30 expiration of Georgia’s $5,000 per vehicle tax credit. (Neighbor Newspapers)
• EV drivers have four new stations in Roswell, Georgia to re-charge their batteries. (Neighbor Newspapers)
SOLAR: A team of students from Vanderbilt and Middle Tennessee State sharpen preparations for this year’s Solar Decathlon, which will include teams from Clemson and the University of Florida. (Vanderbilt Orbis)
OIL & GAS PIPELINES: Dominion and its partners face new questions from the U.S. EPA about potential environmental impacts of four natural gas pipelines planned to traverse Virginia. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
COAL:
• Norfolk Southern agrees to add emissions monitoring equipment at a second and third site at its Lamberts Point coal terminal on Virginia’s coast. (The Virginian-Pilot)
• A proposed federal rule dealing with “black lung” benefits would require coal mine owners to pay all benefits due in a claim before the award can be challenged. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
COAL ASH: Duke Energy plans to store coal ash at two lined on-site landfills North Carolina, one in Eden, the other near Wilmington. (Winston-Salem Journal)