OFFSHORE DRILLING:
• The divide over whether to authorize drilling off the mid- and lower-Atlantic Coast grows sharper and louder. (The New York Times)
• Federal data on fish and wildlife habitat could be the determining factor on whether to drill. (The Post and Courier)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: The Virginia Senate fails to overturn Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s veto of a bill that could have enabled the General Assembly to block implementation of the plan. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

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SOLAR:
• Opponents of a proposed amendment to the Florida’s Constitution backed by utilities call it a “sneaky maneuver” to defeat rooftop solar. (Florida Politics)
• A battle is brewing over the price of extra electricity generated by rooftop solar systems sold back to a Florida utility. (WJAX/WFOX-TV)
• Alabama and Tennessee are two of only three states that offer no statewide rules for compensating rooftop solar owners for the extra power they generate. (Reuters)
• Duke Energy unveils plans for its third new solar project of the year in North Carolina. (Charlotte Observer)
• Project developers eye new solar opportunities in a Georgia county. (Savannah Morning News)

COAL ASH:
• South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley signs new coal ash disposal restrictions into law as a company prepares to contest them in court. (The State / Greenville Online)
• Many signs point to Duke Energy appealing North Carolina’s $6.8 million fine for the 2014 spill into the Dan River. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Dominion Virginia Power defends its treatment of coal ash wastewater as opposition grows on two fronts. (Associated Press)

UTILITIES: Environmental advocates say they’ll appeal North Carolina’s authorization for Duke Energy to build two new natural gas power generators in Asheville. (Utility Dive)

NUCLEAR:
• A nuclear watchdog group says federal regulators have made too little progress improving plant safety from lessons learned after the 2011 Fukushima disaster. (Platts)
• Scrutiny grows of the large amount of water used daily by Florida Power & Light’s Turkey Point reactors. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
• Declining costs of renewable power sources make it increasingly difficult to justify new reactors as nuclear costs and construction delays increase. (U.S. News & World Report)

COAL: A new grass-roots movement begins a recruitment drive in Kentucky to push back against the “war on coal.” (WAVE 3 News)

PIPELINES: A study paid for by Dominion claims that natural gas pipelines have no detrimental impact on property values. (Bacon’s Rebellion)

OIL & GAS: The oil industry protests new “well-control rules” designed to prevent a blowout similar to the 2010 BP explosion in the Gulf. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

COMMENTARY:
• South Carolina’s port authority should embrace solar energy. (The Post and Courier)
• Two sustainability leaders at the University of Virginia lay out how a carbon tax, tax incentives and industry standards all play roles in achieving carbon emission reductions. (Huffington Post)