RENEWABLE ENERGY:
• With a new data center planned for a former coal-fired power plant in Alabama, Google is working with the TVA to deploy more renewable energy sources. (The New York Times)
• Wind and solar energy are projected to be cheap enough to compete without direct subsidies in many regions of the world. (Greentech Media)

CONGRESS: The House voted late Wednesday on a bill authored by Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-KY, to block the Clean Power Plan. (The Washington Post)

NUCLEAR:
• The rising cost of building two nuclear rectors in Georgia will swallow most of the $2.7 billion in new-found savings that Southern Co. has touted, a state analyst asserts. (Associated Press)
• U.S. Dept. of Energy has completed the final loan guarantee backing the Plant Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia, this one with the Municipal Electric Authority. (The Augusta Chronicle)

COAL ASH:
• Gulf Power agrees to move coal ash from a closed power plant in north Florida to help protect the Apalachicola River. (Saint Peters Blog)
• Strong opposition to a proposed settlement of the 2014 Dan River coal ash spill is expected from environmental groups in Virginia. (Associated Press)
• North Carolina is retesting for toxic chemicals in water near several coal ash ponds. (WRAL, Raleigh-Durham)

FRACKING: A new report estimates enough natural gas is leaking that it negates the fuel’s relative benefits to the environment. (The Guardian)

EFFICIENCY:
• To better educate consumers, a new Duke University study recommends putting energy use into context. (The Washington Post)
• University of Chicago economists find weatherization expenditures often cost more than the money they save. (ClimateWire)

SOLAR:
• A bulk-purchasing coop is expanding its reach in Northern Virginia. (The Washington Post)
• Bristol, Virginia is assessing how to power its downtown with solar energy. (Bristol Herald Courier)

COAL:
• A proposal to help communities deal with coal’s decline has been ignored by Congress. (InsideClimate News)
• The coal industry is appealing to the Obama administration to loosen proposed limits on greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants. (InsideClimate News)

CLIMATE: The Atlanta archbishop is launching a plan to educate Georgian’s about climate change. (WABE Public Radio)

POLITICS:
• Miami’s archbiship says he senses Pope’s encyclical is softening the climate stances of  Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio. (Miami Herald)
• The American Petroleum Institute is reviving its election advocacy arm to help supportive candidates in 2016. (The Hill)

UTILITIES:
• Duke Energy’s rate of return in 2014 exceeded levels authorized by North Carolina, says the state’s utility customer advocate. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Fayetteville, North Carolina is assessing its options for meeting future electricity demand. (Fayetteville Observer)

BIOMASS: Burning wood to generate electricity violates the Clean Air Act, environmental groups assert. (The New York Times)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: Tennessee grants $250,000 to the city Lebanon to help build a waste-to-energy plant. (Biomass)

COMMENTARY: Why the Clean Power Plan needs to succeed – opinion. (Memphis Flyer)