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)

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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