SOLAR: A new report from a clean energy group projects that solar capacity per customer in the Southeast will double by 2022, with Florida outpacing North Carolina by next year. (Solar Power World)
ALSO:
• A $30,000 grant from a local foundation will help Sarasota, Florida, launch two residential solar co-ops to help make solar installations more affordable. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
• Developers begin construction on a solar project in Georgia that will provide power to a Facebook data center. (Solar Power World)
• A newly completed solar project in South Carolina will produce enough energy to power 260 Best Buy stores annually. (Solar Power World)
• A network of environmental groups calls on more states, including Texas and North Carolina, to follow California’s lead in requiring solar panels on newly built homes. (Renewables Now)
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UTILITIES: A new analysis by the Tennessee Valley Authority says Memphis electricity customers are likely to see their power bills rise by more than 20% if the city’s municipal utility leaves TVA. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
CLIMATE: The South faces significant economic and environmental damage if decarbonization isn’t prioritized, according to a report by a policy group led by vice president-hopeful Stacey Abrams. (E&E News, subscription)
COAL ASH:
• Georgia’s House of Representatives approves legislation to increase landfill fees on coal ash to deter an influx from neighboring states. (Capitol Beat)
• A new short film by an Alabama environmental program highlights the risks of a coal ash pond that sits near the Mobile Bay. (WKRG)
COAL:
• The second iteration of a study in Eastern Kentucky will look at industries that could employ coal miners and help the region move beyond coal. (WYMT)
• A former coal miner featured in an NPR-PBS documentary on black lung disease died last week from the illness. Jack Horne of Kentucky was 66. (NPR)
PIPELINES:
• Legal battles continue to grow over the Permian Highway Pipeline as environmental groups cite a lack of oversight along the project’s path. (Carlsbad Current Argus)
• Eighteen states, including some in the Southeast, urge the Supreme Court to reinstate an Army Corps program that fast-tracks water crossing permits for pipeline projects. (E&E News, subscription)
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OIL & GAS: Louisiana’s oil and gas industry continues to suffer as more companies lay off workers and file for bankruptcy. (Daily Advertiser)
COMMENTARY:
• A Kentucky business owner says his town offers a cautionary tale as Memphis considers whether to leave the Tennessee Valley Authority. (Commercial Appeal)
• The Southern Environmental Law Center submits comments on a federal proposal to revoke states’ authority on net metering, calling it a “sweeping attack on rooftop solar.” (news release)