SOLAR: President Obama today is to announce 260 projects from the private sector and state and local governments aimed at expanding solar in low- and moderate-income communities. (The Hill)
POLITICS: Among recent efforts to push Republican presidential aspirants to moderate their climate stances, Charlotte’s Jay Faison has contributed $100,000 to Sen. Lindsey Graham’s Super PAC and $50,000 to the Super PAC of Jeb Bush. (Politico)
COAL ASH:
• Dominion Virginia Power is consolidating disposal of its coal ash with no public notice nor a long-term plan approved by the state. (Southern Environmental Law Center blog)
• Environmental groups oppose Duke Energy’s bid to “recycle” coal ash asserting it should be handled more carefully due to its toxicity. (Greensboro News & Record)
UTILITIES:
• Appalachian Power expects to be short of generating capacity in 2020 when a new PJM Interconnection rule takes effect. (Platts)
• Dominion Virginia Power questions solar, praises coal and decries carbon rules in a resource plan filing. (Utility Dive)
BP OIL SPILL:
• Tulane University legal experts are set to answer questions online about the spill at Noon ET today. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
• Fifty-six percent of claims by Louisiana businesses preceding the BP settlement announced last week have been paid out, totaling $5.2 billion. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
• A court filing Monday details how Louisiana will spend its $6.8 billion share of the settlement. (Houma Today)
COAL: A new combined-cycle natural gas-fueled power plant in Louisville will produce 14 percent more electricity than the coal-fired plant it replaced. (Louisville Courier-Journal)
NUCLEAR: By one estimate, there are 55 nuclear start-ups with $1.6 billion in funding striving to develop new nuclear power technologies. (Fortune)
PIPELINES: Spectra Energy said it will restart its main natural gas transmission line near Little Rock, Arkansas after a parallel backup pipeline ruptured May 31. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette)
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: A new web-based mapping tool by the EPA assesses health disparities close to power plants and other industrial projects. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy blog)
COMMENTARY:
• How to get conservatives to act on climate change: attack and embarrass them. (Grist)
• A carbon tax would aid the economy and the environment. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
• Last week’s Supreme Court decision remanding the EPA’s mercury rule could be a lifeline for the coal industry. (Wall Street Daily)