NATURAL GAS: Florida and Virginia are projected to lead the nation in additions of gas-fired generation from 2016 through 2018. (Utility Dive)

ALSO: Activists protesting Duke Energy’s proposed natural gas plant in Asheville, North Carolina have until Friday to appeal a requirement that they post a $10 million bond if they pursue an appeal. (Charlotte Business Journal)

SOLAR:
West Virginia-based equipment supplier Geostellar joins with online retailer Etsy to sell rooftop solar systems. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• A Google initiative enabling households to assess their homes for solar expands into the Southeast. (Greentech Media)
• A new report by a prominent non-profit parses net metering policies in Louisiana, Mississippi and other states. (Brookings Institution)
• When a new 52 megawatt solar system under construction for Mississippi Power begins generating electricity in early 2017 it will double the amount of renewable power on the state’s grid. (PV Tech)
• The next bulk-purchasing solar co-op launches in northern Virginia as a separate spring campaign there nets 464 signups. (Virginia Solar United Neighborhoods, Inside NOVA)
• A beer distributor aims to host the largest rooftop solar system in Florida. (Business Observer)

COAL: West Virginia objects to the proposed $500 million sale of Alpha Natural Resources’ assets to a hedge fund because the state could be left with $230 million in reclamation liabilities. (Bristol Register-Herald)

OIL & GAS:
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards privately urges the industry to settle lawsuits over damage to the state’s coastal lands. (Associated Press)
Louisiana has until June 30 to decide how to make up for a large decline in taxes paid by the slumping oil and gas industry. (Louisiana Record)
• A retired U.S. Army captain who was shot three times in the Iraq War campaigns for reducing dependence on Middle East oil. (The Ocala StarBanner)
• A worker at a Louisiana refinery is fatally injured. (Associated Press)

NUCLEAR: A new report from the National Academies of Sciences concludes reactor operators are falling short of guarding spent fuel from releasing radiation. (Bloomberg)

COAL ASH: Prince William County, Virginia orders continued testing for possible water contamination near ash ponds owned by Dominion Virginia Power. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

OFFSHORE DRILLING: Activists hold hands across several mid-Atlantic beaches to protest against seismic testing and promote clean energy. (The Post and Courier)

CLIMATE: Residents of Blacksburg, Virginia collaborate on mitigating the threats of climate change. (The Roanoke Times)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: An Alabama couple offers the public their electric car charging station near their home. (Associated Press)

RENEWABLES: Clean energy sees growing support among North Carolina voters, according to a new poll by a conservative advocacy group. (Charlotte Observer)

EFFICIENCY: A housing partnership in Charlotte celebrates earning a sustainable neighborhood design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. (Charlotte Business Journal)

TECHNOLOGY: A Raleigh, North Carolina developer of advanced metering equipment – Sensus USA – is reportedly up for sale. (Triangle Business Journal)

COMMENTARY:
Florida has the best politicians money can buy. (Tampa Bay Times)
North Carolina should be boosting, not complicating, clean energy. (Raleigh News & Observer)
• Public engagement will produce useful results in trying to redevelop coalfields in eastern Kentucky. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
• Is Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe green or not? (Roanoke Times)

Jim Pierobon, a policy, marketing and social media strategist, was a founding contributor to Southeast Energy News. He passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer in 2018.

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