LOUISIANA:
• Louisiana’s governor encourages local governments to sue oil and gas companies for damage to coastal lands. (WWNO Public Radio)
• Environmental groups gird for the next round hearings over a contested pipeline set to cut across several southern parishes. (Associated Press)
POLICY:
• A transition document outlines how President Trump may pursue more than $800 million in budget cuts at the EPA, including state assistance programs. (The Hill)
• North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is slated as the keynote speaker at the University of North Carolina’s fourth clean tech summit March 2-3 in Chapel Hill. (Coastal Review Online)
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COAL ASH:
• Ash containing rare earth elements needed for cell phones and computer hard drives potentially can meet the market demand for these and other industries that depend on it. (Waste360.com)
• A hearing this Thursday night in Northern Virginia is the latest in an effort to explain Dominion Virginia Power’s plans to store coal ash along the Potomac River. (Chesapeake Bay Journal)
• A non-profit launches a petition drive to state and federal lawmakers in Georgia for stricter regulations on ash destined for the Broadhurst landfill near Jesup. (Change.org)
COAL:
• A repeal of the Affordable Care Act threatens black lung benefits for miners and eligible survivors. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting / Kaiser Health News)
• The Appalachian Regional Commission awards $3.5 million to a community college in Eastern Kentucky for workforce revitalization. (Floyd County Times)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: The TVA is on track to achieve its targets even if the plan is withdrawn by President Trump. (The Chattanoogan)
VIRGINIA:
• Advocates converge on the state capitol in Richmond calling for a faster transition to renewable energy. (Augusta Free Press)
• Companion bills aimed at creating a Secretary of Coastal Protection and Flooding Adaptation advance in the General Assembly. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
CLIMATE:
• Two South Florida congressman who launched the Climate Solutions Caucus now count 20 colleagues as members who are split evenly between Democrats and Republicans. (Sunshine State News)
• Researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science say sea-level rise is helping push the state’s barrier islands inland, burying salt marsh habitats. (Associated Press)
FRACKING: Florida State Sen. Dana Young follows up her promise with a bill to ban fracking there. (Tampa Bay Times)
SOLAR: A technical college in Georgia and a high school in North Carolina are selected for grants from each state’s Solar for Schools program. (ConnectSavannah.com, press release)
PIPELINES: Environmental groups and landowners challenge a natural gas pipeline planned in upstate South Carolina to serve markets in the state’s Low Country. (GreenvilleOnline.com)