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)