COAL ASH: A South Carolina bill that would curtail the public’s right to sue for enforcement of coal ash and other pollution laws is a House vote away from passing. (The State)
ALSO:
• An activist paddles the Cape Fear River to spotlight risks of coal ash sites polluting the water that many North Carolinians drink from. (Wilmington Star-News)
• Dominion Virginia Power explains its water cleaning technology to treat and test coal ash water. (Prince William Times)
• Residents in southwest Virginia air concerns about Appalachian Power’s coal ash disposal practices. (Bristol Herald Courier)
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RENEWABLES: The TVA’s power generation plans call for adding up to 3,800 MW of large-scale solar and up to 1,750 MW of wind energy by 2033. (The Chattanoogan)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: North Carolina is called out for blocking sales of Teslas which reportedly source 30 components from the state. (CleanTechnica)
FRACKING:
• A West Virginia landowners’ rights group is part of a new lawsuit by environmental organizations to compel better regulations of waste fluids. (The Hill)
• Opponents in Florida prepare to beef up their defenses in advance of another pro-fracking push by lawmakers in 2017. (WUFT)
CLIMATE:
• The mayor of South Miami wants to build a “tower of shame” listing state officials who deny the need to mitigate climate change and rising sea levels. (SaintPetersBlog)
• Governors and/or attorneys general in eight Southeast states are on the record denying the reality and risks of climate change while Virginia’s governor embraces the challenge of mitigating it. (Climate Progress)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey may have the most personally riding on efforts to defeat the plan. (Greenwire)
• At least one rural electric co-op in Arkansas and another in South Carolina see more solar as a path to meeting their targets under the plan. (Bloomberg)
• The recently launched Energy Institute of Alabama takes aim at defeating the plan. (Alabama Today)
COAL:
• Progressive labor activists see coal’s decline as a potential turning point to refocus Appalachia on cleaner energy. (The Nation)
• The Sierra Club’s claim to helping shut down coal reaches a 100,000 megawatt milestone. (The Hill)
UTILITIES:
• Coal divestment advocates sharpen their focus on decisions by a large institutional holder of Duke Energy stock. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Two Catholic religious orders that own Duke Energy stock want more transparency about its lobbying activities. (Charlotte Observer)
SOLAR: A southwest Georgia economic development agency moves to boost its tax base by authorizing farmland for large solar systems. (Albany Herald)
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NATURAL GAS: A Louisiana entrepreneur who pioneered exports of liquefied natural gas eyes another new venture there. (Financial Times)
COMMENTARY:
• Three pointed questions for Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good at its shareholders meeting today. (Tampa Bay Times)
• Be very skeptical of the so-called proposed “smart solar” constitutional amendment on Florida’s November ballot. (Orlando Sentinel)
• Here’s why Dominion Virginia Power sees the need for a lot of new natural gas-fueled generation and the option of another nuclear reactor. (Bacon’s Rebellion blog)
• A non-profit slams a North Carolina bill that would “gag” health officials about the safety of water near coal ash sites. (Carolina Public Press)