The Energy News Network’s 40 Under 40 is now live! Meet this year’s cohort at energynews.us/40Under40

SOLAR: A Florida legislator’s push to review the state’s solar net metering rules follows direct communication with utilities and more than $20,000 in campaign contributions, a watchdog group reports. (Energy & Policy Institute)

ALSO:
• Walmart announces plans to help its U.S.-based suppliers speed up their adoption of solar and renewable energy. (Democrat Gazette)
• As a developer seeks approval to build five solar farms totaling up to 138 megawatts in capacity, local officials in South Carolina fixate on end-of-life disposal plans for the panels. (Myrtle Beach Sun)
• Two Girl Scouts in Florida earn a new renewable energy patch by making solar powered cars. (Sun Sentinel)

***SPONSORED LINK: The National Solar Tour is going virtual! Sep. 24-Oct. 4. Meet solar owners from around the country. Hear about their experience going solar. Explore new technologies. Learn about solar’s role in energy equity and community empowerment.***

WIND: A plan to attract offshore wind turbine supply chain companies to Hampton Roads, Virginia, wins financial support from a state economic development initiative. (Virginian-Pilot)

OFFSHORE DRILLING: North Carolina will continue its lawsuit against the federal government’s decision to advance seismic testing off the state’s Atlantic coast even after a company withdrew its request to do so. (Associated Press)

COAL:
• Eleven Southwest Virginia projects are selected for possible grant approval from a federal pilot program to reclaim abandoned mine land. (Herald Courier)
• A coal industry group criticizes West Virginia economic development officials’ decision to subsidize a major natural gas-fired power plant. (Inter-Mountain)
• A West Virginia mining museum reopens with exhibits about Appalachia’s labor union history in the early 1900s. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
• A Georgia Power fossil fuel power plant catches fire for the second time in a week as crews dismantled a damaged transformer. (11 Alive)

GRID:
• In Louisiana, U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette says he will back efforts to secure federal funds to “hurricane-proof” critical energy infrastructure. (NOLA.com)
• Several residents of a Georgia community turn out to oppose the proposed location of a transmission line project they say will spoil views. (FYN-TV)

UTILITIES: Birmingham, Alabama, residents spend a higher percentage of their income on utility bills than those in most metro areas, according to a new report. (AL.com)

***SPONSORED LINK: National Clean Energy Week Policy Makers Symposium is September 21-25. Register to hear from members of Congress and leading clean energy innovators. Register today at https://nationalcleanenergyweek.org.***

POLITICS: As climate change emerges as a voting issue in South Carolina, three-term Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham appears to be vulnerable. (InsideClimate News)

COMMENTARY:
• “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” A clean energy group says Florida officials shouldn’t mess with the state’s solar net metering policy. (CleanEnergy.org)
• A retired coal industry spokesman says that states need to “attach a value” to coal to save coal plants and stabilize the electric grid. (Roanoke Times)

Dan has two decades' experience working in print, digital and broadcast media. Prior to joining the Energy News Network as managing editor in December 2017, he oversaw watchdog reporting at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, part of the USA Today Network, and before that spent several years as a freelance journalist covering energy, business and technology. Dan is a former Midwest Energy News journalism fellow and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communications from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.