PIPELINES: The Appalachian Trail Conservancy expected scrutiny for accepting a $19.5 million gift from the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s developer, but it believes time will eventually show it was the right decision. (Energy News Network)
ALSO:
• The Mountain Valley Pipeline’s developer tells federal regulators that it has secured another permit as it waits to resume construction. (Roanoke Times)
• South Carolina residents fight to protect property from a proposed pipeline that some suspect is meant to supply a future power plant. (Associated Press)
CLIMATE:
• Exxon Mobil intends to significantly increase carbon emissions at a time when its rivals are committing to curb oil and zero-out emissions. (Bloomberg)
• The world’s largest renewable developer, Florida’s NextEra Energy, surpasses Exxon Mobil in stock market value. (E&E News, subscription)
• A Charlottesville group urges local officials to add rooftop solar requirements for county-owned buildings to a climate action plan. (Charlottesville Tomorrow)
SOLAR:
• A local permit expires before construction begins for a rural Virginia solar project still waiting on other regulatory approvals. (Star-Exponent)
• Asheville, North Carolina, completes a solar installation on a regional transit center — the first of seven projects planned for city facilities. (WLOS)
• A northern Virginia county unanimously approves a large solar facility despite concerns raised by neighbors last week. (Northern Virginia Daily)
• A North Carolina county board will consider extending its solar farm moratorium at an in-person public hearing tonight. (Salisbury Post)
• Solar United Neighbors launches solar buying co-ops in Southeast West Virginia and in the Florida Keys. (Fayette Tribune, Keys Weekly)
WIND: A Louisiana shipbuilding company will build and operate a ship to help run and maintain offshore wind farms in the Northeast U.S. (Associated Press)
NUCLEAR: The decommissioning of Duke Energy’s Crystal River Nuclear Plant in Florida could create hundreds of jobs in the next several years. (Citrus County Chronicle)
COAL:
• Peabody Energy will lay off 350 union employees at an Alabama coal mine as it halts operations for six months due to weakening demand. (Associated Press)
• “I wish I could say that I was, but I’m not terribly surprised.” Juliette residents react to Georgia Power’s legal response to their coal ash lawsuit. (WGXA)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Florida Power & Light unveils electric vehicle charging stations in Palm Beach County and at the Brevard Zoo. (WPTV, Space Coast Daily)
COMMENTARY:
• The Mountain Valley Pipeline is not a done deal yet and there’s still time to stop the “dangerous boondoggle,” an environmental advocate writes. (Front Porch Blog)
• If the world truly wants to mitigate climate change, the oil and gas industry must take the lead, a columnist writes. (Houston Chronicle)