NUCLEAR:
• The once-rosy outlook for less expensive “modular” construction is not the reality at Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle. (The Wall Street Journal)
• Shutting down struggling nuclear reactors is “the proper market-driven answer,” but not the best option for cutting emissions, says former Exelon CEO John Rowe. (EnergyWire)
CLIMATE:
• Florida leads all states with the most property at risk from climate change, and its exposure could double over the next 40 years. (Miami Herald)
• Coca-Cola, UPS and Walmart are among U.S. companies signing on to a new White House push to cut carbon emissions. (The Hill)
SOLAR:
• Alabama Power may soon illustrate how an investor-owned utility implements a large amount of solar well before a state regulates renewables. (Fierce Energy)
• Rooftop solar is booming in Georgia, North Carolina and certain other states but its viability soon may be challenged. (Vox)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• The League of Conservation Voters has launched two TV ads attacking North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr’s opposition to the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. (Charlotte Observer)
• Stakeholders assert the EPA can achieve its Clean Power Plan goals by extending the deadline for states to comply. (ClimateWire)
• Contrary to a recent report in The Washington Post, West Virginia Gov. Tomblin “has not made a final decision” on Sen. McConnell’s proposal to disavow the Clean Power Plan. (The Charleston Gazette)
RENEWABLES & EFFICIENCY: A new study by a Georgia Tech professor asserts every Southern utility can be more aggressive in burning less coal and expanding efficiency programs without raising electricity rates. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
COAL ASH: CEO Lynn Good said Duke Energy has “put a camera in every pipe” at every coal plant since the 2014 Dan River coal ash spill. (Charlotte Business Journal)
POLLUTION: Seven years after monitoring for mercury in Louisiana’s waterways from coal-fired power plants ended, the state lacks data to warn about potential contamination in fish. (The Acadiana Advocate)
OIL & GAS: Natural gas production in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle nearly tripled in 2014 compared to 2012. (The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register)
VIRGINIA: A FERC order allowing demand response and energy efficiency resources to be included in upcoming wholesale power auctions for utilities in the PJM power grid won’t lower prices as much as expected, according to a new report. (Platts)
BP OIL SPILL SETTLEMENT:
• A federal judge Monday ordered BP to pay its settlements to Gulf Coast governments within 30 days. (Associated Press)
• Mobile, Alabama agrees to a $7.1 million settlement over lost tax revenue and other economic damages. (Alabama Media Group)
COMMENTARY:
• Options for solar and other renewable energy sources can boost Alabama’s competitiveness. (Made in Alabama blog)
• The president of the Hampton Roads, Virginia Chamber of Commerce makes a case for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (The Virginian-Pilot)
• Virginia lags in its efforts to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay, although not as much as Pennsylvania does. (The Washington Post)