UTILITIES:
• Today is the deadline for North Carolina regulators to decide the fate of Duke Energy’s bid for three new gas-fired generators in Asheville. (WSOC-TV)
• Duke Energy is set to break ground Wednesday on a new gas-fired power plant in central Florida. (Oil and Gas 360)
CLIMATE:
• Members of a Louisiana tribe are the first official climate refugees in the continental U.S., receiving $48 million to relocate. (The Weather Channel)
• An environmental group lists Tampa Bay among top 10 U.S. regions most threatened by climate change. (Politifact Florida)
• Rising sea levels are driving up costs to maintain water supply systems along Florida’s coast. (Florida Water Daily)
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COAL ASH:
• Environmental groups move to block Dominion Virginia Power from dumping coal ash wastewater into rivers. (Southern Environmental Law Center)
• A South Carolina bill blocking out-of-state coal ash at certain landfills is ready for the Governor’s signature. (WYFF-TV)
OFFSHORE DRILLING: The federal government is finalizing a new rule aimed at preventing the type of undersea oil well blowout that led to the 2010 BP spill. (The Hill)
EDUCATION: The West Virginia House blocks new science standards because they mention climate change. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
STORAGE: A battery plant in Florida illustrates the challenges of government stimulus programs during rapid technological change. (The Washington Post)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: The Virginia Chamber of Commerce joins 166 other business organizations supporting a lawsuit aimed at stopping the plan. (WRIC-TV)
TECHNOLOGY: A Charlotte company hires a financial adviser to sell its cooling-tower business. (Charlotte Business Journal)
SOLAR:
• An engineer in North Carolina combines his passion for clean energy and rescuing pets with a rooftop solar system on an animal hospital. (Asheville Citizen-Times)
• A Virginia city councilman urges his town to “take things into our own hands” on solar. (WHSV-TV)
POLLUTION: Officials in a Kentucky county are furious after learning out-of-state radioactive waste has been dumped locally. (The Exponent Telegram)
COAL:
• The Kemper coal-gasification power plant in Mississippi faces new litigation over its rising costs. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
• The Sierra Club appeals to Entergy to close two coal-fired power plants Arkansas. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
• An importer sues a railroad to break terms of a contract involving coal destined for power plants in Georgia, Virginia and the Carolinas. (SNL)
• A contested tax credit approved by Virginia lawmakers is set for the Governor’s signature. (The Roanoke Times)
PIPELINES:
• A judge denies a motion by Virginia landowners to delay the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (The News Virginian)
• A coalition unveils an online tool to spotlight environmental risks of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (Augusta News Leader)
• West Virginia land owners step up attacks against a bill that would enable land surveys for the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline. (WVVA-TV)
COMMENTARY:
• There’s ample evidence about how the coal industry really runs West Virginia. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• A retired construction company president says the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline is key to local job growth in southwestern Virginia. (The Roanoke Times)
• The man largely responsible for promoting the first U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas was fired last year from the company leading the push. (USA Today)
• A pastor in Virginia cites the disproportionate burden on minorities from air polluted by coal-fired power plants. (The Daily Progress)
• The head of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce cites the benefits of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to local businesses. (The Virginian-Pilot)