OFFSHORE DRILLING: State regulators in both Carolinas have signed off on proposals by companies to conduct seismic testing for oil and natural gas off their Atlantic coastlines, subject to some conditions. (Associated Press)
WIND: Developers of a proposed wind farm in Arkansas are trying to de-annex unincorporated land in one town and join nearby Elm Springs to build the first wind farm in the state. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette)
NORTH CAROLINA LEGISLATURE: An amendment to House Bill 760 would freeze a law that requires utilities to get a certain amount of their power from renewable sources such as wind and solar. (News & Record, Greensboro)
SOLAR: The Solar Electric Power Association ranks Duke Energy Progress fourth in the nation the amount of solar capacity installed on its system in 2014 (Charlotte Business Journal) and North Carolina third for the amount of new solar installed during 2014 (News & Record, Greensboro).
NUCLEAR:
• Former EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman warns utilities not to over-commit to natural gas for power generation and keep nuclear in the mix. (Nashville Public Radio)
• Duke Energy Progress is assessing escalating costs of new nuclear reactors in Georgia and South Carolina to help decide if it will try to build one itself in North Carolina. (Charlotte Business Journal)
OIL & GAS PIPELINES: Kentucky’s Court of Appeals is considering whether a company can use the power of eminent domain for a natural gas liquids pipeline. (WFPL Public Radio, Louisville)
COAL ASH: Testing by independent labs for harmful toxins that could impact drinking water supplies near a Duke Energy coal ash pond in North Carolina yield inconclusive results. (News & Record, Greensboro)