COAL: A new report by McKinsey & Co. concludes coal companies will not be able to meet their growing environmental and financial liabilities. (Platts)

ALSO:
• Louisiana puts a hold on a controversial export terminal. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
• This map illustrates the growing economic distress throughout Appalachia amid coal’s decline. (Equal Voices News)

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COAL ASH: South Carolina is leading Southeast states in how it disposes or reuses its ash. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)

UTILITIES:
• FirstEnergy is trying to shift the risks of running uncompetitive coal plants in West Virginia from shareholders to ratepayers. (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)
• Duke Energy asks North Carolina to require opponents of a proposed natural gas plant to post a $50 million bond if their planned appeal to scrap the plant fails. (Charlotte Business Journal)

RENEWABLES: A new poll in North Carolina finds strong support for policies that foster continued growth in renewable energy. (WRAL)

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• The biggest shift to come from the plan – burning less coal – is already happening throughout most of the Southeast U.S. (Washington Post)
• Polling shows strong public support for the plan in Florida, along with other states where attorneys general are fighting it. (Midwest Energy News)

TECHNOLOGY: Oracle’s acquisition of utility software provider Opower shows the increasing importance of customer data. (EnergyWire)

SOLAR:
• Fifty-six homeowners have signed up for a solar system via a bulk-purchasing co-op in Athens, Georgia. (Athens Banner-Herald)
• A national solar installation company sets its sights on North Carolina’s market with its first office in the state. (Charlotte Observer)

NUCLEAR:
• Dominion defends hefty spending to explore additional reactors in Virginia. (Utility Dive)
• The TVA says its new Watts Bar 2 reactor will begin generating electricity this month. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
• Despite rising costs, Georgia Power says it’s setting the standard for building new reactors at its Plant Vogtle. (WJBF)

PIPELINES:
• Federal regulators extend the time frame for public comments about the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline route through western Virginia. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• A property owner in Virginia sued by developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline accuses them of “blatant intimidation.” (Roanoke Times)

TRANSPORTATION: United Parcel Service upgrades its electric hybrid delivery trucks to boost fuel efficiency. (Louisville Courier-Journal)

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EFFICIENCY: A Mississippi county agrees to a free energy audit of its buildings and then an estimate of what efficiency improvements will cost. (Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal)

COMMENTARY:
• Pipelines proposed to run through Virginia pose a simple choice: natural beauty or natural gas? (Science Line)
• Utilities in the Southeast U.S. should stop blocking or inhibiting solar’s growth. (The New York Times / Southern Environmental Law Center)
• Some in West Virginia are ready to move beyond coal. (Bay Journal News Service)
• Lawmakers should lift the cap on the number of Tesla stores in Georgia. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)