NUCLEAR: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham leads a push for billions of dollars to revive the abandoned Summer nuclear project in South Carolina, saying the project’s demise “would be the end of a nuclear renaissance before it even started.” (Associated Press)
ALSO:
• The state-owned utility Santee Cooper has dropped its plans to increase rates after abandoning construction at the Summer plant. (Associated Press)
• Neither President Trump nor Energy Secretary Rick Perry, who have both advocated pro-nuclear positions, have publicly addressed the abandonment of the Summer nuclear project. (Post and Courier)
• A lawsuit filed on Friday accuses South Carolina Electric and Gas of mismanaging finances for the Summer plant as well as concealing money problems from its customers. (Associated Press)
• Westinghouse said Friday it furloughed 870 employees, following the filing of a lawsuit alleging that the company violated labor laws by laying off workers without proper notice. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• There were signs of trouble even before construction started on South Carolina’s Summer nuclear project, according to state records reviewed by a newspaper. (The State)
• South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham says he supports Gov. Henry McMaster’s idea to sell the state power company to help finish the recently abandoned Summer nuclear project. (WRDW-TV)
• It is still uncertain whether the long-term benefits of building new nuclear reactors, including the under-construction Vogtle plant in Georgia, will be worth the growing cost. (Augusta Chronicle)
COAL ASH: The safety manager at a coal ash spill cleanup site admitted workers were denied respirators and masks, which may be related to the death of at least two dozen people. (Knoxville News-Sentinel)
COAL: A coal company run by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s family is suing two Kentucky regulators for the company’s reclamation delays that could result in millions of dollars in fines. (Courier-Journal)
SOLAR: Florida has just one solar panel manufacturer, and it is finding a lot of customers locally and nationally despite low-cost Asian imports. (Palm Beach Post)
CLIMATE: Climate change may be one of the contributing factors to massive flooding from recent record rainfall in New Orleans. (Times-Picayune)
ENERGY DEPARTMENT: Some White House and Republican officials are considering West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin to lead the U.S. Department of Energy. (Bloomberg)
FERC: President Trump appointed recently confirmed commissioner Neil Chatterjee, who is a former adviser to Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, as chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (Electric Light & Power)
OIL & GAS: Environmentalists want South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to file a statement against offshore drilling as the federal government’s deadline to submit comments nears. (Sun News)
COMMENTARY:
• West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s plan to subsidize Eastern coal is worth considering for the sake of the country’s energy security. (Exponent Telegram)
• Supporting Eastern coal with federal subsidies “ought to be a political no-go” for environmental and free-market reasons. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• A newspaper editorial praises a West Virginia lawmaker’s support for “clean coal.” (Charleston Mail-Gazette)
• Following the abandonment of the South Carolina’s Summer nuclear project, SCE&G shouldn’t count on getting a big ratepayer bailout without a fight from its customers. (Post and Courier)
• A columnist criticizes political leaders who deny the effects of climate change, including President Trump and Florida Gov. Rick Scott. (Miami Herald)
• A guest columnist says North Carolina is a leader in the transition to renewable energy and now should lead the fight to stop the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (News & Observer)