PIPELINES:
• Lawyers say language in a North Carolina bill could remove a key legal argument against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (Southeast Energy News)
• A nonprofit that supports a transition away from fossil fuels says proposed new pipelines would be “climate disasters.” (Roanoke Times)
• The Sabal Trail natural gas line from Alabama to Florida is nearing completion and slated to begin operations in June. (Opelika-Auburn News)

COAL:
• A West Virginia congressman promotes coal in India. (The Intelligencer)
• The West Virginia coal miner who spoke alongside President Trump at a recent bill signing believes the president’s policies will “help turn this industry around.” (Fox News)
• A handful of new mines are opening amid “cautious optimism” in the industry. (Bloomberg)

COAL ASH: Virginia lawmakers approved a bill requiring Dominion Virginia Power to identify pollution risks from coal ash; environmental groups say the bill doesn’t go far enough. (WRIC)

NUCLEAR:
• A slowdown in U.S. nuclear development could have a global impact on safety standards. (New York Times)
• The reactor technology in Duke Energy’s nuclear plans may already be out of date. (Tampa Bay Times)
• A Georgia facility that decommissions warheads could end up supplying fuel to the nearby Vogtle nuclear plant. (Augusta Chronicle)
• GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy is laying off workers at its plant in Castle Hayne, North Carolina. (Wilmington Biz)

SOLAR:
• SolarCity’s entry into the Virginia market could help the push for more solar-friendly policy in the state. (Southeast Energy News)
• Georgia is now the third-fastest growing producer of solar power in the country and the eighth-largest producer of solar energy. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
• While still lagging other states, solar development is beginning to accelerate in Tennessee. (The Tennessean)
• Construction begins on a 1.35 MW community solar project in Chattanooga. (The Chattanoogan)
• A public hearing will be held next month for a 5 MW solar project in North Carolina. (Gaston Gazette)
• A solar farm atop a Florida landfill will be unveiled next week. (Palm Beach Post)
• The Orlando Utilities Commission installs the first large-scale floating solar array in Florida. (PV Magazine)

WIND: Concerns over whale habitat delay offshore wind development along the Carolina coast. (New Bern Sun Journal)

UTILITIES: Entergy pauses development of a Lousiana power plant amid concerns the new generation isn’t needed. (New Orleans Times Picayune)

OIL AND GAS: Retailers push back on a plan to index Tennessee’s fuel tax to inflation. (Chattanooga Times Free Press) 

COMMENTARY:
• A “quiet revolution” to fight climate change is underway in Nashville. (The Tennessean)
• Former EPA official says calls to ban fracking in Florida “would be pushing aside facts and research for non-scientific emotions.” (Pensacola News Journal)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy, and has led the project from its inception as Midwest Energy News in 2009. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he held a variety of editing, production, and leadership roles, and played a key role in the newspaper's transition to digital-first publishing. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon.