WIND: The Obama administration clears the way for up to six turbines off Virginia’s coast. (Associated Press)
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SOLAR:
• Entergy turns on the first of three planned solar systems in Mississippi. (Daily Leader)
• Support grows for a rally this Saturday in Florida for solar-friendly policies there. (Saint Peters Blog)
• Target completes its third rooftop solar system in South Carolina with four more to go. (Solar Industry)
UTILITIES:
• A design flaw threatens the safe operation at a 34-year-old power plant in Florida and may have to be shut down. (The Ledger)
• The TVA spotlights its cyber defenses after hackers reportedly tried to break into a hydroelectric facility in New York state. (WBIR)
• Activists in Richmond protest a now-outlawed tactic by Dominion Virginia Power to court state environmental regulators. (WTVR)
POWER GENERATION: A new “combined-cyle” natural gas power plant in North Carolina illustrates the technology replacing more expensive and dirtier coal plants. (Wilmington StarNews)
NUCLEAR:
• Federal regulators warn the TVA of a “chilled work environment” that discourages workers from raising safety concerns. (The Chattanoogan)
• A clean energy group launches a petition to stop tritium leaks at Florida Power & Light’s Turkey Point plant. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
• Concerns grow over how tritium leaks from the Turkey Point nuclear plant in Florida may endanger drinking water. (Discovery News)
• Tennessee is the first state to approve payments to workers sickened by their roles in nuclear waste and other research programs at the Oak Ridge complex. (Knoxblogs)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: A new report sheds light on how the American Legislative Exchange Council is working with Dominion Virginia Power to undermine the state’s compliance with the Plan. (Blue Virginia blog)
OFFSHORE DRILLING: Wednesday’s sales of oil and gas leases in Gulf waters off the coasts of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana yield $156 million. (World Oil)
LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS: The global glut of natural gas may force cancellations of several proposed export terminals in Louisiana and others in the Gulf. (Journal of Commerce)
COAL:
• Mississippi regulators order documents summarizing construction of the Kemper coal-gasification power plant to be posted online. (Associated Press)
• Counties is West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia are losing residents and the taxes they pay due to coal’s downturn. (Associated Press)
• A coal-fired power plant run by the TVA shuts down after 60 years. (Decatur Daily)
• Kentucky orders a coal mine to shut down after a leak of acidic water is linked to 700 dead fish. (WKUY Public Radio)
• A Kentucky firm that once touted how it could take over bankrupt coal mines faces pressure to convince investors it can operate profitably. (EnergyWire)
• Opponents claim withdrawing state mine inspections in Kentucky chips away at miners’ safety. (Public News Service)
COAL ASH: As North Carolina’s 14 public meetings conclude, complaints mount over its plans to regulate ash disposal. (TWC News)
OIL & GAS: Retirement Systems of Alabama raises its ownership of an international oil services firm based in the state. (Microcap Magazine)
COMMENTARY:
• The Florida leaders of a new caucus in the House articulate the need to address climate change. (The Hill)
• More local officials in South Florida articulate the need to mitigate rising sea levels, once again without Gov. Rick Scott in sight. (Miami Herald)
• The Democratic process prevailed in stopping proposed drilling off the Atlantic coast. (The Post and Courier)
• “Maybe stop selling the ocean” to mitigate climate change? (CNN)