OFFSHORE DRILLING:
• North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory says the Obama administration’s decision to block oil exploration off its coast could cost the state much-needed revenue and jobs; South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley calls the decision “another disappointment from D.C.” (Associated Press, The State)
• The decision puts top Virginia Democrats at odds politically with the Obama administration. (The Washington Post)
• Environmental groups call the reversal “an incredible day for the Southeast.” (Southern Environmental Law Center)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: West Virginia’s Attorney General plots how to keep allies focused on defeating the plan after the Supreme Court’s stay. (Point Pleasant Daily Register)
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CLIMATE:
• Some Republicans in Florida are demanding the state’s elected officials move soon to mitigate rising sea levels. (Scientific American)
• The CEO of a major tire maker urges the Tennessee congressional delegation and other lawmakers to accept the science about global warming. (Kingsport Times News)
ALTERNATIVE FUELS: Georgia-based United Parcel Service sets a $100 million plan to expand natural gas fueling infrastructure for its trucks. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
OIL & GAS: Federal regulators begin probing the events that led to the death last week of a drilling platform worker off the Louisiana coast. (Associated Press)
COAL:
• Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship seeks to delay the sentencing tied to his conviction for conspiring to violate mine safety laws. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• A new documentary profiles how eastern Kentucky is trying to transition from its coal-based economy. (Union College)
• The CSX railroad is cutting 100 union and management jobs in Kentucky due to declining coal shipments. (The Herald-Dispatch)
SOLAR: A Mississippi utility formally opens the first of five solar arrays it plans to build. (WDAM-TV)
PIPELINE:
• A group of Virginia lawmakers pledges its support for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline’s plan to deliver natural gas from West Virginia to North Carolina. (Associated Press)
• A bill advances in Georgia that would ban new pipeline permits for 15 months. (Independent Mail)
COMMENTARY:
• The White House’s decision to block drilling off Virginia’s coast is a wise retreat or a bad call, depending on whom you ask. (The Virginian-Pilot, Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• Does Florida Gov. Rick Scott think climate change goes way if we ignore it? (Miami Herald)
• Renewable energy can play an important role in West Virginia’s economy. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• The CEO of Florida Power & Light addresses growing questions about the safety of its Turkey Point nuclear reactors. (Miami Herald)
• The developer of the Palmetto Pipeline planned from South Carolina through Georgia into northwest Florida defends its role in transporting petroleum products. (Florida Times-Union)