COAL ASH:
• North Carolina’s epidemiologist resigns, saying she cannot work for an administration “that deliberately misleads the public” about the safety of well water near ash ponds. (Charlotte Observer)
ALSO:
• The toxicologist at the center of North Carolina’s debate over the safety of well water fires back at state officials. (Fayetteville Observer)
• Duke Energy asks regulators for the first $1.5 million of a projected $500 million coal-ash cleanup bill in South Carolina. (Charlotte Business Journal)
EFFICIENCY: Software by Dude Solutions in North Carolina helps drive efficiency gains for Roanoke, Virginia. (Southeast Energy News)
COAL: A power plant in West Virginia is the target of a petition filed by Delaware officials claiming its downwind emissions exceed federal limits. (DelawareOnline)
SOLAR:
• A bulk-purchasing co-op returns to a Virginia city in response to growing interest from area homeowners. (Old Town Alexandria Patch)
• Residents of one of Virginia’s original planned communities take their first look at the viability of rooftop systems. (Connection Newspapers)
• A graduate of a college-prep school in Georgia returns to spearhead its first solar system. (Georgia Southern University)
• A utility commissioner joins industry leaders in Mississippi heralding the completion of several large solar systems. (Mississippi Today)
PIPELINES: Three Republican congressmen in Virginia urge federal regulators to hold more public meetings about the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline. (Roanoke Times)
RENEWABLES: Lynchburg College in Virginia sells $340,000 worth of renewable energy certificates for energy conservation and environmental projects. (News & Advance)
BLANKENSHIP CONVICTION: Oral arguments are set for Oct. 26 for former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship’s appeal of his conviction related to a 2010 mine explosion that killed 29 men. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
COMMENTARY: A Florida lawmaker makes her case for the state’s solar Amendment 4 on its Aug. 30 primary ballot and against solar Amendment 1 on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. (Orlando Sentinel)