COAL ASH: Democrats in North Carolina seek records to determine if Gov. Pat McCrory’s administration urged regulators to declare water close to Duke Energy’s coal ash pits safe to drink. (ABC 11)
ALSO:
• A North Carolina coal ash bill passed by the House stalls as senators seek clarity on who qualifies for permanent, clean water supplies. (Winston Salem-Journal)
• Duke Energy says it backs strengthening coal ash oversight in North Carolina, including the revival of the state’s coal ash commission. (Penn Energy)
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PIPELINES: The federal government seeks more comments on the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (WTVF Public Radio)
COAL:
• Questions surface about a Virginia philanthropist’s hopes to package and sell to utilities coal bundled with carbon credits from tree planting. (Greenwire)
• Environmentalists protest against leasing public lands in Kentucky for coal mining. (Knoxville News Sentinel)
WIND: The 680-foot-tall turbines proposed by Virginia-based Apex Energy for the Cumberland mountains in Tennessee draws more opposition and supporters. (WBIR)
SOLAR: A private school in Darlington, Georgia agrees to host a 5-acre solar farm and buy its electricity. (Rome News-Tribune)
CLIMATE: A Native American tribe’s land losses to rising sea levels in Louisiana also are imposing cultural changes. (National Geographic)
NATURAL GAS: Florida and local governments sign off on Florida Power & Light’s plan to build a natural gas-fired power plant in Okeechobee County. (Miami Herald)
ACADEMIA: Duke University students speak out against the proposed addition of a natural gas-fired power plant on campus. (Raleigh News & Observer)
BIOMASS: A company that makes wood pellets in North Carolina for power generation in Europe says it’s spending $295,000 to help two conservation groups protect bottom lands for forests. (Raleigh News & Observer)
WASTE TO ENERGY: A North Carolina tribe tests a waste-to-energy process that converts recycled bottles, old tires and other waste into synthetic natural gas. (Cherokee One Feather)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tesla foots the bill for charging stations at the city hall in Coral Springs, Florida. (Sun Sentinel)
ACTIVISM: The Sierra Club’s Virginia Chapter president reflects on 20 years of energy and climate activism. (Style Weekly)
COMMENTARY:
• Google’s Project Sunroof shows how far behind Florida is on solar policy. (Miami New Times)
• Even clean energy has its costs. (The News & Advance)
• Are concerns about possible pipeline explosions in Virginia justifiable jitters or unwarranted worry? (Bacon’s Rebellion blog)