COAL ASH: In approving citizen involvement in Duke Energy’s coal ash management plans, a federal judge blasts North Carolina for neglecting to enforce clean water regulations. (Southern Environmental Law Center)
ALSO:
• North Carolina says two elements found in coal ash appear to occur naturally in the state but it doesn’t rescind a do-not-drink recommendation near a Duke Energy coal ash pond. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Emails about how the Jacksonville Electric Authority manages its coal ash are the subject of litigation in Florida and Mississippi. (The Florida Times-Union)
SOLAR:
• Dominion Virginia Power is ordered to seek outside bids for its first large solar project. (The Energy Fix)
• The TVA could cut for a fifth time what it pays customers who generate electricity from the sun. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
• Residents in southwest Florida could be part of the state’s first community solar initiative. (Southwest Florida Public Radio)
• Solar systems continue to grow at military bases in North Carolina and Kentucky and Tennessee. (PennEnergy)
• A 2.2 megawatt solar system being built by Lockheed Martin atop a parking lot is set to be the largest private solar system in Florida. (Associated Press)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: Virginia is among states working to embrace, rather than contest, its emissions targets. (ClimateWire)
ENERGY STORAGE: Calculating the value of energy storage is complicated. (Utility Dive)
POWER GRIDS: U.S. House members are raising concerns about the vulnerability of the nation’s power grid to cyber attacks. (The Hill)
NUCLEAR: Virginia’s attorney general says Dominion Virginia Power should stop charging ratepayers for researching the viability of a new reactor. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
COAL:
• President Obama links substance abuse in West Virginia to coal’s decline. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
• The coal industry joins state officials and industry supporters in a public showing against Obama during his visit to West Virginia. (The West Virginia State Journal)
• Coal exports from Virginia ports are down 35% from the same time one year ago. (The Daily Progress)
BLANKENSHIP TRIAL: Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship testifies that coal mining changes demanded by regulators were “almost impossible to implement.” (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
OIL & GAS: Lifting the export ban on U.S. crude oil could make Louisiana a global trade hub for liquefied natural gas and oil, a state researcher says. (The Baton Rouge Advocate)
2010 GULF OIL SPILL:
• A grand jury in Mississippi hands up an indictment of a prominent Texas lawyer in connection with allegations that he claimed to represent nonexistent clients. (The New York Times)
• Florida begins to sort out how to spend its $364 million in settlement funds. (Miami Public Radio)