WIND:
• Amazon is ready to begin operating the South’s first large-scale wind farm near Elizabeth City, North Carolina. (Eco Watch)
• A Virginia developer says it’s moving forward with a large wind farm in North Carolina despite a county’s rejection of a permit. (Triangle Business Journal)
NUCLEAR:
• In an interview, the CEO of Toshiba America Energy Systems explains why the company chose Charlotte as its new U.S. energy hub. (Southeast Energy News)
• Shares of Toshiba plunged after warning it might take a multi-million dollar write down tied to construction delays and cost overruns at Plant Vogtle in Georgia. (Wall Street Journal)
• A showdown looms at Florida’s Supreme Court over whether Florida Power & Light should be required to bury dozens of transmission lines underground for new reactors at its Turkey Point plant. (News Service of Florida)
• A judge’s ruling means customers of Duke Energy Florida won’t have to pay a nuclear contractor $352 million over disputed costs of a nuclear plant it opted not build. (Tampa Bay Times)
PIPELINES:
• Opponents of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline vow to continue fighting after long-awaited federal draft environmental impact statement says it would have some “significant” impacts that could be minimized. (The News Virginian, Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• Environmental groups sue Kinder Morgan over alleged continuing pollution from a 2014 oil pipeline spill in South Carolina. (Southern Environmental Law Center)
• Activists vow to continue fighting the Sabal Trail and other proposed pipelines amid their expected support from President-elect Trump. (InsideClimate News)
COAL ASH:
• Duke Energy and ratepayer advocates gird for a likely showdown over who pays for the excavation and disposal of its coal ash. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• In South Carolina, a company is prevailing thus far in legal battles over its claimed right to build an ash landfill. (Greenville News)
• Officials await results from tests of water that leaked from a closed ash basin in Gaston County, North Carolina. (Progressive Pulse)
SOLAR:
• Charlotte moves to reuse the first of several landfills as sites for solar farms. (Winston-Salem Journal)
• After a surge of interest, relatively few homeowners in Georgia are following through with purchases of rooftop systems. (WXIA)
CLIMATE:
• Norfolk and Virginia Beach leaders push the state government to mitigate flooding by creating a new Cabinet position. (The Virginian-Pilot)
• These images illustrate the slow creep of rising sea levels in Louisiana. (Curbed)
• Scientists in Florida persevere in trying to meet with President-elect Trump to detail their concerns about climate change. (Palm Beach Post)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: Virginia’s attorney general joins colleagues in 14 other states warning of legal action if President-elect Trump scraps the Clean Power Plan. (Climate Home)
COAL:
• Disabled former workers in Kentucky are desperate after their lawyer is caught in a federal probe. (Associated Press)
• Various efforts illustrate how difficult it is to revitalize once coal-dependent communities in Appalachia. (CleanTechnica)
• The nine deaths attributable to mining in 2016 is the lowest ever. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• Florida Power & Light shuts down a coal-fired power plant. (Palm Beach Post)
• Three coal ash stories to follow in 2017. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
UTILITIES: FirstEnergy moves closer to saving a coal-fired power plant by transferring it to its West Virginia subsidiary. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
NORTH CAROLINA:
• The leader of the state’s environmental agency takes a voluntary demotion to avoid being fired by incoming Gov. Roy Cooper. (Associated Press)
• Five energy and environment developments to follow in 2017. (Charlotte Observer)
FLORIDA: How energy and environmental fights in 2016 set the stage for fresh battles in 2017. (POLITICO Florida)
BIOMASS: An exporter of wooden pellets as an alternative to coal sends its first shipment to Europe. (Triangle Business Journal)
OIL & GAS: A producer asks West Virginia’s Supreme Court to reverse a ruling prohibiting tax deductions for royalties paid to landowners. (Charleston Gazette Mail)
FRACKING: A study conducted with West Virginia University finds noise from fracking may contribute to adverse health outcomes. (Dominion Post)
COMMENTARY:
• A business leader in South Carolina asks why the Atlantic coast south of Virginia did not receive a permanent ban on offshore drilling and seismic testing. (The Post and Courier)
• A Georgia utility commissioner envisions a brighter future for nuclear under President-elect Trump. (Southern Political Report)
• A Kentucky proposal to streamline the siting of coal ash dumps is reckless. (Louisville Courier-Journal)
• To revive Virginia’s coal communities, reduce corporate taxes and make community college free for residents. (Roanoke Times)