NUCLEAR: The South Carolina Senate votes to temporarily cut SCE&G electricity rates by 13 percent in the wake of its parent company’s failed nuclear project, potentially jeopardizing its acquisition by Dominion Energy. (Post & Courier)
MORE: The South Carolina Supreme Court considers forcing a nuclear waste landfill operator to change how it manages waste as radioactive materials are contaminating groundwater. (The State)
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COAL: West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey petitions the EPA to clarify regulations he believes hurt the steel and coal industries. (E&E News, subscription)
UTILITIES: Georgia Power customers will receive an average of $136 in refunds because of federal tax cuts and a reduction in the Plant Vogtle nuclear project charges (WTOC)
OFFSHORE DRILLING: The United States can’t stay competitive in the offshore oil and gas market without reduced royalty rates, especially in the Gulf of Mexico, an industry trade group says. (UPI)
PIPELINES:
• A dozen Virginia Democratic senators criticize police for their treatment of a pipeline protester in a tree, who was cut off from food and water. (Associated Press)
• House lawmakers raise concerns about FERC’s pipeline approval processes, including the lack of public hearings over the Mountain Valley Pipeline. (Natural Gas Intel)
SOLAR:
• Babcock Ranch, Florida, the world’s first solar-powered town, is offering tours of Florida Power & Light’s Solar Energy Center. (Florida Weekly)
• Carroll County, Georgia launches its “Solarize” campaign to sign residents up for home solar projects. (Times-Georgian)
POLITICS: Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship asks a federal judge to throw out his criminal mine safety conviction less than three weeks before the primary election. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
TRANSMISSION: Southeast lawmakers ask President Trump to abandon his proposal to sell off the Tennessee Valley Authority’s transmission assets. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
COMMENTARY: West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says his legislation to give tax credits to keep coal-fired power plants open is necessary for grid reliability. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)