SOLAR: A draft report release by the Louisiana Public Service Commission asserts that solar net metering is shifting $2 million in grid costs to non-solar customers and that amount could grow to $31.4 million by 2020. (Greentech Media)
OIL & GAS:
• The developer of the proposed 300-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline have sued to force three corporations and more than 100 other property owners in 10 West Virginia counties to survey and lay out its route. (The Register-Herald, West Virginia)
• Rather than oppose bills setting permitting requirements for fracking in Florida, some environmental groups are trying instead to amend them. (Saint Peters Blog, Florida)
• The Environmental Defense Fund is trying to ensure that BP-Gulf oil spill restoration funds are spent on projects that restore natural resources. (WWNO New Orleans Public Radio)
CLIMATE:
• Florida Republicans acknowledging and dealing with rising sea levels and more dangerous hurricanes, whether or not caused by climate change. (The Washington Post)
• A report by Environment Virginia articulates how the “Alpha” generation must deal with the growing impacts of climate change. (Daily Press, Virginia Peninsula)
EMISSIONS: North Carolina’s Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources is recommending that lawmakers eliminate emissions testing for cars and trucks in more than two-dozen counties by 2016, subject to new federal air standards. (Associated Press)
OFFSHORE DRILLING: Pentagon seeks to ensure any drilling rigs won’t interfere with Navy operations along the southern Atlantic coast. (SNL)
COAL:
• Environmental lawyer Frank Holleman scoffed at a report that North Carolina is becoming a national leader in coal ash remediation. (Greensboro News & Record, North Carolina)
• NAACP report in support of EPA litigation against aging coal- and oil-fired power plants asserts how emissions disproportionately affect African-Americans and other communities of color, especially in Virginia and some Midwest states. (Daytona Times, Florida)
UTILITIES:
• Charlotte-based Duke Energy completes sale of Midwest power plants to Dynegy. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Duke Energy plans push for its own solar plants in Florida. (Charlotte Business Journal)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and Union of Concerned Scientists decry Georgia’s killing its electric vehicle tax credit. (Southeast Green blog)
SUSTAINABILITY: Four facilities in Kentucky, three in Tennessee and three in Georgia are among the 70 top performing Energy Star-certified manufacturing plants in 29 states. (Southeast Green blog)
CLEAN ENERGY JOBS: North Carolina ranked 8th among all states in creating clean energy and clean transportation jobs at more than 170 projects across the country in 2014. (Southeast Green blog)