POLITICS: Conservative North Carolina businessman Jay Faison says acting to mitigate climate change will do as much to shore up the GOP brand as it will to help the planet. (E&E Daily)
SOLAR:
• A unit of Duke Energy purchased a 20-megawatt solar plant to supply power to Dominion North Carolina. (Charlotte Observer)
• A developer is planning to build a $12 million, 3.5-megawatt solar farm in Yadkinville, North Carolina. (Triad Business Journal)
• Researchers project myriad economic benefits from an 80-megawatt solar system planned for northern Alabama. (The Crimson White)
LANDFILL GAS: Florida Power & Light needs to alter equipment for Miami-Dade County to realize the full benefit of powering its water treatment plant with methane gas from a landfill. (Miami Today)
WIND: A Senate panel approves extending the production tax credit for wind energy. (The Hill)
TRANSPORTATION: A deal for a Senate bill brokered in part by Mitch McConnell proposes selling oil from the reserve in Louisiana to pay for highway repairs and assumes oil can be sold for $89 per barrel. (The Hill)
OFFSHORE EXPLORATION:
• The Wilmington, North Carolina city council passed a resolution opposing seismic testing and drilling for oil and gas off its coast. (Port City Daily)
• Brunswick County, North Carolina residents protested approval by county commissioners of seismic testing for oil and gas off its coast. (Star News)
COAL:
• Patriot Coal tells a bankruptcy court if it won’t permit the company to nullify collective bargaining agreements it will run out of cash within a few weeks. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• Stricter regulations on coal mining and power plant emissions are souring investors on coal-related investments as negative earnings reports loom. (SNL Financial)
PIPELINES: Arkansas’ attorney general opposes a water utility’s acceptance of a proposed consent decree with Exxon Mobil over the 2013 Pegasus Pipeline rupture. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
UTILITIES:
• The former CEO of the Bristol Virginia Utilities Authority pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge tied to kickbacks from vendors. (Associated Press)
• Florida-based NextEra Energy’s proposed acquisition of Hawaii’s electric utility is drawing increasing opposition from state agencies there. (Greentech Media)
COMMENTARY:
• A North Carolina study concluding electric cars are worse polluters than gasoline cars relied on outdated data and failed to consider the rapidly changing energy mix. (Greentech Media)
• A polluter protection bill gaining momentum in the North Carolina legislature needs to be stopped. (Southern Environmental Law Center blog)