FRACKING: Companies can begin applying for fracking permits in North Carolina as new state regulations take effect. (Associated Press)
COAL ASH:
• The North Carolina Supreme Court hears arguments over whether state regulations require immediate cleanup of leaking coal ash dumps. (Associated Press)
• A judicial panel sides with North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory in a dispute over who can appoint members of a committee overseeing coal ash cleanup. (Associated Press)
COAL:
• Louisiana officials seek more information on a proposed coal export terminal. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
• The president of the West Virginia Coal Association says production in the state is declining, adding “the federal government has taken its toll on coal.” (The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register)
• A worker is killed in a rockfall at a Virginia coal mine. (Kingsport Times News)
SOLAR:
• Backers of a solar referendum in Florida say they have nearly enough signatures to get it on the ballot. (SaintPetersBlog)
• A solar manufacturer plans an $11 million manufacturing facility in Virginia. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• Duke Energy is considering a 12.8 MW solar facility at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. (Jacksonville Daily News)
• The University of Georgia seeks approval for a 10-acre solar farm. (Athens Banner-Herald)
• A bulk-buy residential solar program begins to roll out in South Carolina. (FierceEnergy)
PIPELINES: Federal regulators have been quietly rewriting pipeline safety rules in the two years since a major spill in Mayflower, Arkansas. (EnergyWire)
OIL:
• A BP report claims the Gulf Coast is back to normal after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill; environmental advocates aren’t so sure. (WEAR-TV)
• Tulane University receives $1.4 million from a BP research fund to help coastal communities prepare for future oil spills. (New Orleans Public Radio)
NUCLEAR: Florida lawmakers reject an amendment that would have ended a fee paid by ratepayers for a scrapped nuclear project. (Tampa Bay Times)
UTILITIES: The president of Kentucky Power says the utility is exploring cleaner power sources after “the EPA came after us.” (Ashland Independent)
EPA: Representatives from the Southeast expressed more concern than counterparts in other regions about impacts from EPA carbon regulations. (RTO Insider)
TRANSPORTATION: Arkansas-based trucking company J.B. Hunt will consider a shareholder’s proposal for a company-wide carbon reduction plan. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
COMMENTARY: Why the Clean Power Plan will boost Virginia’s economy. (NRDC Switchboard)