SOLAR: At Duke Energy’s urging, a North Carolina advisory committee pushes to re-evaluate the state’s solar policies and the role of a 1978 electricity law. (Southeast Energy News)
ALSO:
• The latest federal data shows third-parties own 30% of solar systems under 1 megawatt as advocates in Florida and Virginia press for such projects there. (Utility Dive)
• Duke Energy boosts its national portfolio of projects with the purchase of a 14-megawatt system in Colorado. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Florida-based NextEra Energy commissions a 250 megawatt system in Nevada. (SolarServer)
• An advocacy group is replicating a recent rally in Virginia with its next “Solar Congress” in West Virginia set for tomorrow in Morgantown. (The Dominion Post)
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KENTUCKY: Gov. Matthew Bevin moves to make it harder for the public and state agencies to monitor toxic coal ash and sludge from power plants. (Louisville Courier-Journal)
WEST VIRGINIA: The state faces a budget deficit “north of $400 million” due to the continuing drop in tax revenue tied to coal’s decline and low natural gas prices. (West Virginia Metro News)
COAL:
• Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV and two other senators threaten to block a stopgap funding bill in Congress if it doesn’t include long-term health and retirement benefits for coal miners, which are also supported by the White House. (The Hill, Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• Advocates deliver a petition they say has nearly 10,000 signatures urging Sen. Mitch McConnell to speed up release of federal funds for projects to help coal communities recover. (LEX18.com)
FRACKING: Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency says fracking, not EPA regulations, are responsible for displacing coal. (McClatchy Newspapers)
RENEWABLES: A new study shows the growing competitiveness of wind and solar when environmental and public health costs are included. (Environmental Defense Fund)
POLITICS: The West Virginia Republican Party urges Donald Trump not to select Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV, whom the President-elect is to meet with today, for any Cabinet post. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
COAL ASH: Duke Energy moves to offer a “financial supplement” along with new water supplies to homeowners near 14 of its ash pits in North Carolina. (North Carolina Health News)
PIPELINES: More than 200 seek jobs to help build the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in Virginia. (Augusta News Leader)
GRID: The Midcontinent Independent System Operator approves 383 new grid upgrade projects. (Platts)
CLIMATE: Planners in Southwest Florida move to make the Estero Bay region more resilient to climate change. (Health News Florida)
EFFICIENCY: The Dept. of Energy chooses an elementary school in Arlington, Virginia to launch a partnership to help educational institutions reduce their energy consumption. (EIN News)
COMMENTARY:
• Solar City’s move in to Florida sends a bright message for solar in the Southeast. (Clean Energy Authority)
• Fellow Georgians, let’s have an intelligent dialogue about our climate. (The Moultrie Observer)
• Ratepayers shouldn’t have to shoulder the cost overruns of Mississippi Power’s Kemper “clean coal” plant. (Northside Sun)
• Proposals to ban fracking in Florida are welcome news. (SunSentinel)