SOLAR: Florida voters in today’s primary election decide on Amendment 4, which would exempt the value of solar systems from commercial and personal property taxes. (Mother Jones, The Florida Times-Union)

ALSO:
• Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe commissions the first community solar project in the state. (Augusta Free Press, Southeast Energy News archive)
• A startup in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park says its patent-pending technology could boost the efficiency of solar panels. (WRAL TechWire)

EFFICIENCY:
• After 14 years, developers of a pioneering upscale sustainable community in Virginia reflect on lessons learned from the project. (Southeast Energy News)
• Rural community leaders ask the TVA for more energy efficiency programs. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)

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CLEAN POWER PLAN: A former North Carolina lawmaker says the Clean Power Plan presents an opportunity for energy innovators to find ways to help the state comply. (Charlotte Business Journal)

OFFSHORE DRILLING: U.S. regulators warn drillers to find solutions to the growing failure of bolts in subsea equipment used in the Gulf.  (Greenwire)

BIOMASS: Kentucky regulators rescind an order that would have allowed a controversial wood-burning power plant to proceed. (WKYU Public Radio)

WIND: A subsidiary of Southern Co. buys a 147-megawatt wind system in Oklahoma from Virginia-based Apex Clean Energy. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)

UTILITIES: Advocates ask West Virginia regulators to require FirstEnergy to prove that a coal-fired power plant in the state is the cheapest source of power. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

PIPELINES: Opponents of pipelines slated to cross through Virginia follow Gov. Terry McAuliffe at his latest public appearance. (The News Virginian)

CLIMATE: Pensacola, Florida is set to launch a Climate Change Task Force to promote sustainability. (Pensacola News Journal)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A church in Newport News, Virginia offers four new charging stations to demonstrate its passion for creation care. (Mennonite World Review)

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WEST VIRGINIA: A West Virginia University professor says six counties are mired in a “great depression” due mostly to coal’s decline. (Metro News of West Virginia)

COMMENTARY:
• Utilities in Virginia and elsewhere are using “Orwellian Newspeak” to turn people against rooftop solar. (Solar Marketing Review blog)
• North Carolina’s environmental chief defends Gov. Pat McCrory’s handling of its coal ash management challenges. (WRAL)
• Does Dominion support using Thomas Jefferson’s name to spread climate denial? (Energy and Policy Institute)
• North Carolina should do more to tap into biogas. (StarNews)

CORRECTION: An item in yesterday’s digest erroneously said Florida’s Amendment 4 is backed by utilities.