NUCLEAR: Various groups join Miami in opposing Florida Power & Light’s move to charge customers $22 million for two new reactors that may never be built without an analysis of whether they make economic sense. (Palm Beach Post, Miami Herald)
ALSO: Miami-Dade County calls on Florida Power & Light to control the spread of saltwater used to cool two reactors at its Turkey Point plant. (Palm Beach Post)
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UTILITIES: A non-profit urges Florida Power & Light customers to comment during upcoming public hearings on its proposed 24% increase of basic rates. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
SOLAR:
• A clean energy group in North Carolina says it will appeal the state’s rejection of its closely-watched third-party power sales agreement with a church. (Charlotte Observer)
• The Department of Energy adds Fort Bragg in North Carolina to its “Solar Ready Vets” training sites. (Fayetteville Observer)
POLITICS: A growing number of candidates in Kentucky are reckoning with coal’s demise and are outlining responses to deal with it. (Grist)
STORAGE: Why Alevo chose Concord, North Carolina as its U.S. hub for developing its next generation utility-scale “GridBank” battery. (Richmond County Daily Journal)
CLIMATE:
• Southeast Florida and the Louisiana Gulf Coast are represented in Congress by lawmakers who deny sea levels are rising due to climate change. (Fast Company)
• The mayor of Coral Gables, Florida sees the urgency of dealing with rising sea levels. (WLRN Public Radio)
• Researchers find expanding the network of pump stations throughout Miami Beach and New Orleans may be the most effective way of dealing with rising sea levels. (Physics.org)
COAL:
• To smooth West Virginia’s transition away from coal, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito calls on current and future presidents to “ease up on regulations, give longer timelines and move on research and development.” (The Hill)
• Kentucky moves to spend $30 million of federal funds on projects to redevelop coalfields. (WKYU Public Radio)
• West Virginia Gov. Ray Tomblin hosts a public workshop today to discuss economic development initiatives aimed at helping coal-dependent communities. (West Virginia Public Radio)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: Implementation of the plan would drive coal’s share of U.S. power generating sources to 18% by 2040, down from a peak of 50% in 2005. (Platts)
COAL ASH:
• Kentucky utilities want surcharges to help pay for ash disposal. (Public News Service)
• A test of water samples by Duke University researchers could shed light on water contamination near Dominion Virginia Power’s coal ash ponds. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
WIND: Cumberland County, Tennessee debates the pros and cons of a proposed wind system. (Crossville Chronicle)
PIPELINES:
• Both the proposed Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines hit more snags over their latest route proposals in Virginia. (Natural Gas Intelligence)
• Opponents of the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline in Virginia challenge the objectivity of the Franklin County Board of Supervisors. (The Roanoke Times)
OIL & GAS: A judge awards $7 million to family members of a woman who died of cancer years after laundering asbestos-tainted clothes from her husband’s work at an Louisiana oil company. (AllGov)
EFFICIENCY: Investments to conserve energy in Kingsport, Tennessee’s public schools are more than paying for themselves over the past five years. (Times News)
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ACADEMIA:
• Berry College in Georgia takes aim at energy efficiency and renewable energy sources of power. (Rome News-Tribune)
• Students at a Georgia high school unveil a go-kart they built powered by solar panels. (Bryan County News)
COMMENTARY:
• North Carolina must protect clean water for the public’s health ahead of any other interest, including Duke Energy. (Greensboro News & Record)
• Could coal ash in North Carolina become what the water crisis in Flint is doing to Michigan? (The Mountaineer)
• Shareholders, not ratepayers, should pay for Dominion Virginia Power’s proposed high-voltage transmission line over the James River. (The Virginia Gazette)