WIND: A bill approved by the North Carolina Senate would require a review of potential health effects of proposed wind farms. (North Carolina Health News)
ALSO:
• Some homeowners in eastern North Carolina hail legislation to restrict wind farms there. (Triangle Business Journal)
• A Mississippi developer of a 400-mile-long transmission line aimed at importing wind-generated power from Texas will hold an open house next week for the project. (WCBI)
EFFICIENCY:
• A Virginia startup aims to create a green score for existing homes. (Southeast Energy News)
• Florida-based NextEra Energy Services forms a partnership with a software developer to offer a demand-response program for businesses in the PJM power grid. (Utility Dive)
COAL ASH:
• A closely watched trial over Dominion Virginia Power’s plans to bury coal ash in unlined pits could hinge on whether environmentalists link pollution to a coal plant. (The Daily Progress)
• Health threats from a coal ash dump run by Dominion Virginia Power will increase as sea levels rise, a trial witness says. (The Virginian-Pilot)
• Virginia sets a July 6 public hearing in Chesterfield over the reissue of a permit for Dominion Virginia Power to discharge ash wastewater there. (Chesterfield Observer)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• An agreement between the TVA and the EPB is set to expand a network of charging stations in the Chattanooga metro area. (The Pulse)
• A North Carolina startup looks to expand its solar-powered charging stations throughout the Southeast. (Asheville Citizen-Times)
NUCLEAR:
• Florida Power & Light offers to wait one year before starting to charge ratepayers for building new reactors. (Miami Herald)
• Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good stresses the need to keep current reactors operating as long as possible to help reduce carbon emissions. (USA Today)
SOLAR:
• The South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce heralds the benefits of a two-year-old law enabling solar’s growth there. (Charleston Regional Business Journal)
• Advocates in Greensboro, North Carolina question whether its leaders will do what they say: become the most “solar friendly” city in the state. (Yes Weekly)
• A homeowner in South Carolina looks forward to cutting her average power bill by two-thirds with a rooftop system. (WJCL)
UTILITIES: The parent company of Dominion Virginia Power made the largest single donation by a corporation to a Virginia campaign or candidate since 1997, records show. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
COAL:
• Blackhawk Mining opts to shut down three previously idled mines in eastern Kentucky. (Platts)
• A West Virginia property owner sues a miner alleging it breached duties to correct various damages to his land. (West Virginia Record)
2010 BP OIL SPILL: About $8.7 million of penalties from the Gulf spill are to be spent on filling canals in a Louisiana preserve originally dug by oil explorers after World War II. (WWL)
COMMENTARY:
• The real reason behind legislation to ban many wind farms in North Carolina: opposition to renewable energy. (Wilmington Star News)
• Who pays to clean up coal mines after their owners go bankrupt? (Natural Resources Defense Council)
• Governments should follow this road map to protect well water from coal ash contaminants. (Raleigh News & Observer)
• A labor leader spotlights the roles two nuclear reactors under construction in Georgia serve in creating jobs and rebuilding America’s infrastructure. (Huffington Post)