SOLAR: A Kentucky lawmaker says he is “shocked” by industry pushback to his solar bill and says he plans to modify the bill to address their concerns; utilities strongly support the measure. (Louisville Courier-Journal, Lane Report)

ALSO: Solar advocates push back on a Georgia bill they say would “undermine” state regulators. (Solar Industry Magazine)

ENERGY STORAGE: North Carolina has given Alevo Energy almost $13.2 million in state and local incentives to build a new battery assembly line. (Triad Business Journal)

CLIMATE: Advocates push Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and other state leaders to do more to reduce carbon emissions absent leadership at the federal level. (WVTF)

COAL:
• Female coal miners talk about their experiences working in a male-dominated workforce. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
• West Virginia’s attorney general recaps his Tuesday meeting with President Trump. (West Virginia Record)

OIL AND GAS: 
• Mississippi lawmakers have been unable to agree on how to spend most of the $750 million oil spill damage payments from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. (Associated Press)
• Georgia lawmakers advance a bill that would increase fracking oversight. (Tifton Gazette)
• Federal regulators have approved a draft environmental impact statement for two pipeline projects in the Southeast. (Kallanish Energy)
• A Virginia mayor writes to state and federal regulators to reiterate the city’s opposition to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (News Virginian)

RENEWABLES: The U.S. military will continue to pursue clean energy both as a climate change solution and “to become more effective in combat.” (Reuters)

NUCLEAR:
• The Tennessee Valley Authority will make modifications to the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant as part of its request to federal regulators to increase its original licensed thermal power level. (News Courier)
• How market changes could encourage more nuclear development. (Greentech Media)

COMMENTARY:
• A Kentucky bill will “remove unnecessary permitting regulations” on mines. (Harlan Daily Enterprise)
• The Kemper plant shows “both the promise and the peril” of “clean coal” technology. (IEEE Spectrum)
• Florida utility customers should stop being charged for nuclear reactors that will likely never be built. (Miami Herald)
• An editorial calls for transparency from Dominion on plans for pumped hydro storage. (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.