COAL:
• Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz outlines how the Obama administration is spending billions to keep coal viable. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
• Profiles of former coal miners in Appalachia illustrate where workers are turning for jobs. (NPR)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• A state report finds implementing the Clean Power Plan is economically feasible in West Virginia but will have a “profound impact” on the state’s coal industry. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• The same report says changing a 2015 law prohibiting the trading of carbon allowances will be key for the state’s compliance. (Associated Press)
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SOLAR:
• This assessment of TVA’s just-announced solar system illustrates how solar is well suited to meet peak demand in the Southeast. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
• This online marketplace for homemade goods selects Florida and West Virginia to sell discounted solar systems with a national installer. (FastCoExist)
• Virginia’s incentives for solar pale by comparison to Maryland’s and D.C’s but its rates are lower, reducing the incentive to go solar. (Washington Post)
• Florida Power & Light turns on a solar-powered parking canopy at an art museum in Broward County. (WPLG)
• Tampa Electric begins work on a solar-powered parking canopy for Legoland in Winter Park. (The Ledger)
• Race car driver Denny Hamlin plots his post-NASCAR career with an investment in a solar energy company. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
HYDROPOWER: Richmond, Virginia opposes a plan filed by a Spanish company to build a hydroelectric system on the James River. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
CLIMATE: Ten House members gather in the first meeting of a recently-formed Climate Solutions Caucus founded by two Florida Congressmen. (E&E Daily)
EFFICIENCY: Companies that help consumers and businesses reduce energy usage are offering new careers for laid-off coal miners. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
NUCLEAR:
• Alabama political and business leaders step up efforts to find a buyer for the TVA’s mothballed Bellefonte nuclear plant. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
• Duke Energy’s nuclear chief is optimistic about the technology, as long as it’s in regulated states such as the Carolinas. (Charlotte Business Journal)
VW EMISSIONS VIOLATIONS: How any changes at Volkswagen affect its manufacturing operations in Tennessee may not be known for months. (Nashville Public Radio)
COAL ASH:
• Virginia regulators hear myriad concerns as questions linger about plans to treat coal ash water at a shuttered power plant. (Bristol Herald Courier)
• As lawmakers ponder rule changes, North Carolina’s regulators refuse to offer guidance on the safety of well water near ash ponds. (WRAL)
• Rockingham County, North Carolina plans upgrades to parks and greenways with funds Duke Energy is providing tied to its 2014 ash spill on the Dan River. (Time Warner Cable News)
NATURAL GAS:
• An Army power plant in Virginia switches from coal to natural gas to reduce emissions. (The Roanoke Times)
• The first shipment of LNG from a Louisiana terminal could spark a price war in Europe. (The Wall Street Journal)
UTILITIES: A Duke Energy executive tells an energy forum in North Carolina he wants the company to reflect the priorities of its customers. (Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Business Journal)
OFFSHORE DRILLING: A brewery in South Carolina adds its voice to oppose drilling and seismic testing off the Atlantic coast. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
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POLLUTION: Louisville receives – again –a failing grade for pollution attributed mostly to coal-fired power plants. (Louisville Courier-Journal)
COMMENTARY:
• Today’s Earth Day should echo calls for cleaner energy throughout Florida. (Tallahassee Democrat)
• Virginia has the brainpower to help drive the state to a cleaner energy future. (Fredericksburg Free Lance Star)