SOLAR: The Florida Public Service Commission unanimously approves a new community solar program for Gulf Power customers. (The Pulse)
RENEWABLES: Virginia lawmakers punt – again – on a suite of renewable energy bills. (Greentech Media)
***SPONSORED LINK: Join resiliency stakeholders and problem solvers from state and local government, businesses, universities, and the military in the first statewide Resilient Virginia Conference, March 22-23 in Richmond, Virginia. Register today to build Virginia’s resilient future!***
WIND: After an Arkansas town votes against it, a developer cancels a wind project. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoes a bill that would have given lawmakers the final say in the state’s implementation of the plan. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Scientists at Vanderbilt University say they’ve found a way to make EVs that actually reduce CO2 in the air around them as they run. (Vanderbilt University)
CLIMATE:
• Several groups attack proposed standards in West Virginia for teaching science topics aimed at ignoring climate change. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• A study of voters in the five Southeast states that held primaries Tuesday finds fewer than half believe global warming is being driven by humans. (Mother Jones)
• The University of Florida receives federal funding to help train 18 professors to help students think globally about climate change and other international issues. (Washington Free Beacon)
POLLUTION: The EPA questions if water rule changes pending in West Virginia are strong enough. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
UTILITIES:
• Duke Energy is eliminating about 3% of its almost 30,000 positions in a cost-cutting move. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• A close look at new combined-cycle natural gas plants generating power in southern Florida. (Florida Weekly)
• Duke Energy sets a $72 share price for stock to be sold for its planned $4.9 billion acquisition of Piedmont Natural Gas. (Charlotte Business Journal)
COAL:
• Eastern Kentucky has lost an average 900 mining jobs each year since 1979, says a new report. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
• Experts ponder why Appalachia is seeing a resurgence of black lung disease. (WBUR Public Radio)
• The West Virginia House begins debate on a bill that would give coal-producing counties more control over how they spend severance tax dollars. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
• A coal union leader urges Senators to save the pension and health care benefits for retired miners. (The Hill)
COAL ASH: Several speakers at the outset of this month’s hearings want North Carolina to clean up all coal ash sites, not just the priority ones. (Carolina Public Press / Charlotte Observer)
2010 BP OIL SPILL: Part of Mississippi’s settlement would be earmarked for transportation improvements throughout the state. (Jackson Free Press)
PIPELINES: A moot court competition at West Virginia University tackles property rights versus eminent domain and the public interest. (Associated Press)
OIL TRAINS: A federal report concludes the 2014 derailment in Virginia of a train carrying volatile crude oil could have been prevented with proper track inspections. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
COMMENTARY:
• Ft. Lauderdale, Florida is becoming an “edifice of risk” as climate change lays siege to its shores. (InsideClimate News)
• Coal ash liquid disposal in Sanford, North Carolina raises unsettling questions. (Fayetteville Observer)
• An industry lobbyist spotlights aggressive tactics, including those coordinated by Duke Energy, to defeat rooftop solar. (Utility Dive)
CORRECTION: An item in Tuesday’s digest misstated the location of a church being spotlighted for its environmental justice work. It is in Florence, South Carolina, not Virginia.