SOLAR: Florida’s state Senate is expected to vote today on legislation implementing voter-approved tax breaks for solar; industry backers say the revised bill is “good enough.” (Orlando Sentinel)

ALSO:
• A North Carolina solar installer has withdrawn its complaint against Duke Energy over interconnecting its projects, background here. (Charlotte Business Journal, subscription)
• A North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center report finds regulators in many states are reluctant to support utility efforts to restrict rooftop solar. (PV Magazine)
• The Mississippi attorney general’s office releases a consumer guide for solar, which Gov. Jim Hood calls “good for the environment, for people and for the economy.” (Mississippi Today)

***SPONSORED LINK: Ready to network, learn, and strategize at Solar Power Southeast? Receive a 15% discount on your registration when you use code P15SACE17. Sign up today to secure your spot at one of the top solar conferences in the region. Solar Power Southeast is May 11-12 in Atlanta.***

COAL ASH: An environmental attorney files a lawsuit challenging Kentucky’s new coal ash regulations. (WFPL)

COAL: Tax receipts from the coal and natural gas industries in West Virginia continued to rise last month. (Roanoke Times)

POLITICS:
• Dominion Virginia Power tries to cast itself in populist terms as candidates for state office reject its campaign money. (Washington Post)
• A Florida candidate for governor spends part of the day installing rooftop solar panels, saying the state should be “the solar capital of the world.” (SaintPetersBlog)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• Residents and businesses in North Carolina claimed a record $245 million in tax breaks for clean energy last year. (Raleigh News & Observer)
• Appalachian Power released its Virginia resource plan earlier this week, which calls for 500 MW of solar and 1,350 MW of wind energy by 2031. (Franklin News-Post)

NUCLEAR:
• Another contractor files a lien against South Carolina utilities for work on the V.C. Summer plant, this one for $10.7 million. (Aiken Standard)
• Sen. Lindsey Graham says it’s “bad government” to not extend nuclear tax credits while two projects “are in jeopardy.” (Post and Courier)

OIL AND GAS: A group of natural gas companies forms the Louisiana Energy Export Association. (New Orleans City Business)

BIOFUELS: Boating industry groups send a letter to President Trump seeking limits on ethanol mandates. (New Orleans Times Picayune)

CLIMATE: A state government report warns that 527 Virginia historic sites are threatened by climate change. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY:
• “West Virginia’s Legislature needs to stop focusing on the bygone days of a booming coal industry.” (Charleston Gazette Mail)
• A newspaper editorial says “even the big power companies seem to see the handwriting on the wall” on solar power. (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.