COAL ASH:
• Georgia Power says all 29 of its ponds in the state will stop receiving ash and cease operations within three years. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• A North Carolina non-profit sues to make Duke Energy move faster to clean up ash from a power plant near its massive Dan River spill in 2014. (Raleigh News & Observer)
POLLUTION: The Supreme Court upholds a lower court ruling allowing EPA limits on mercury emissions to remain in effect while the agency calculates industry compliance costs. (Washington Post)
NUCLEAR:
• South Carolina Electric & Gas says its latest request for a larger budget to complete two reactors under construction limits future increases. (The State)
• A professor of nuclear security at the University of Tennessee voices concerns over ties the gunman in the Orlando mass-shooting had to a firm guarding many nuclear power plants. (U.S. News & World Report)
EFFICIENCY:
• Virginia-based Opower says it has helped 100 utilities globally save more than 11 terawatt hours of energy and their ratepayers $1.1 billion. (Utility Dive)
• A North Carolina brewer says it’s the first American beer maker to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design “platinum” leadership. (All About Beer Magazine)
• A western North Carolina county names task forces to study how Duke Energy will help its residents and businesses meet future energy needs. (Mountain Xpress)
SOLAR: A North Carolina lawmaker explains how he came to embrace solar energy. (Yale Climate Connections)
GRID: Retirements of coal plants could cause a generation shortfall by 2018 in the MISO power grid. (RTO Insider)
OUTAGES: The Carowinds theme park near Charlotte shuts down a second time in less than a week as Duke Energy presses to find out why. (Charlotte Observer)
INNOVATION: The sixth annual Clinton Global Initiative kicks off today in Atlanta focusing on energy innovation and sustainable cities, among other topics. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
OIL & GAS: A Louisiana company prepares to start exploratory drilling on a controversial well in St. Tammany Parish. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
TRANSMISSION: Dominion Virginia Power provides some details but sticks to its plan for mitigating the impact of a proposed transmission line over the James River. (Virginia Gazette)
NATURAL GAS: Virginia Natural Gas receives regulatory approval to extend a conservation and efficiency program for three more years. (Virginian-Pilot)
COMMENTARY: Virginia Congressman Bob Goodlatte calls for a “tailored approach” to energy regulations that can boost access to “affordable” energy. (News Virginian)