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)

Jim Pierobon, a policy, marketing and social media strategist, was a founding contributor to Southeast Energy News. He passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer in 2018.

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