OFFSHORE DRILLING: The Interior Department said Wednesday it is reviewing applications for seismic testing in the Atlantic that were previously rejected by the Obama administration. (Associated Press)
ALSO:
• South Carolina lawmakers disagree over offshore drilling and one proposes a ban for the state. (Post and Courier)
• A federal judge is allowing Taylor Energy Co. more time for settlement talks with the Justice Department after the company didn’t stop an oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. (Associated Press)
SOLAR:
• Georgia solar manufacturer Suniva wants the Trump administration to raise trade barriers against key imports, but the issue is not that straightforward. (E&E News)
• Pro-solar momentum is picking up speed in Virginia after years of little activity. (PV Magazine)
• A city in Georgia and Georgia Power are partnering to make solar energy accessible for low-to-moderate income communities as part of a U.S. Department of Energy program. (Brunswick News)
• Lockheed Martin has added a more than 145,000-square-foot solar carport in Orlando. (Solar Industry Magazine)
NUCLEAR:
• A decision on what to do with Plant Vogtle’s half-built reactors could be made Friday, which is when a post-bankruptcy filing agreement to keep work going will expire. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• Westinghouse said it is improving training and encouraging employees to report safety concerns, as well as upgrading air pollution control devices at its South Carolina plant. (Associated Press)
• A look at commercial nuclear projects in Tennessee. (Oak Ridger)
COAL:
• Former Massey CEO Don Blankenship was released from federal custody Wednesday and immediately began tweeting, after having completed a one-year sentence for violations at the Upper Big Branch Mine where 29 miners died in 2010 explosion. (Charleston Gazette-Mail, Associated Press)
• A West Virginia congressman says extracting rare earth elements has “incredible potential” to help revive the coal industry, although scientists have said existing mine waste provides plenty of potential. (Bloomberg, Southeast Energy News archive)
• The Virginia Economic Development Partnership has a six-point plan to revive the state’s struggling coal economy. (Roanoke Times)
• Some local officials in West Virginia believe the state is “on the verge” of a post-coal renaissance. (phys.org)
• TVA has demolished two smokestacks at a coal plant that is no longer operational. (Times News)
UTILITIES: Dominion shareholders approve a name change for the company but reject a slate of environmentally focused resolutions. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
PIPELINES: Representatives from the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project presented emergency safety plans to a community in North Carolina. (Wilson Times)
COMMENTARY: A newspaper editorial argues that South Carolina utilities should be investing in solar instead of new nuclear. (Charleston Post and Courier)