SUPREME COURT RULING:
• The Supreme Court ruled the EPA erred in issuing its mercury and air toxics regulations by failing to properly consider economic costs on coal-burning power plants. (The Washington Post)
• Some legal experts don’t expect the decision to hamper the White House’s plans for landmark climate regulations. (Politico)
• Drawing from ruling, the EPA’s Clean Power Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions could face increased scrutiny from the Court. (Associated Press)
• Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell contends the ruling backs up his advice to governors to ignore the EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plan regulations. (The Hill)
IMPACT OF RULING ON THE SOUTHEAST :
• The Court’s ruling is seen as having little immediate impact in North Carolina. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Dominion Virginia Power is sticking to its plan to close coal-fueled generators at its Yorktown plant and continue trying to site a transmission line over the James River. (Daily Press)
• The Jacksonville, Florida utility was ready to comply with EPA’s mercury and air toxics regulations, but will continue with current mix of generation sources. (Associated Press)
• West Virginia’s senators and governor applaud the ruling while some lawmakers call it a strong rebuke of Obama’s environmental agenda. (Wheeling News-Register)
SOLAR: From Florida to Louisiana, states are hashing out rules over the future of consumer-generated solar and third-party solar financing. (EnergyWire)
GOOGLE: Will the Internet giant power data centers in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia with renewable energy as it plans to do in Alabama? (Benchmark Monitor)
UTILITIES: A year after its massive Dan River coal ash spill, Duke Energy’s board agrees to pay CEO Lynn Good up to $10.5 million in 2015 if her performance measures up. (Charlotte Business Journal)
COAL:
• Kentucky-based Blackhawk Mining says it has reached an agreement to acquire six coal complexes and certain reserves in southern West Virginia from bankrupt Patriot Coal. (The Charleston Gazette)
• While coal-fired power plants close elsewhere, more are opening in Arkansas, complicating the state’s compliance with the Clean Power Plan. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette)
NORTH CAROLINA: The state Supreme Court hears arguments today to decide who selects members of the state’s coal ash commission, the governor or the General Assembly. (Greensboro News & Record)
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A waste-to-energy plant has begun generating power for the grid at the Palm Beach Renewable Energy Park in Florida. (Charlotte Business Journal)
NATURAL GAS:
• Cheniere Energy has received federal approval to expand its Cameron Parish, Louisiana liquefied natural gas export facility. (Houston Chronicle)
• The Florida-based, compressed natural gas supplier, Nopetro has attracted a significant investment from a co-founder of natural gas innovator Chesapeake Energy. (South Florida Business Journal)
2010 GULF OIL SPILL: The Supreme Court declined to hear appeals from BP and Anadarko Petroleum over their violations of the Clean Water Act. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY:
• Despite reports to the contrary by many media outlets, the Supreme Court did not “strike down” the EPA’s regulations of toxic air pollution from power plants. (ThinkProgress)
• The Supreme Court “did not question or overturn the substance” of the EPA’s mercury and air toxics emissions rule – opinion. (Southern Environmental Law Center blog)
• What the Pope’s climate encyclical means for Memphis – opinion. (The Daily News)
•Despite the Pope’s encyclical, climate change deserves more of a debate – opinion. (Sun Herald, Gulfport, Mississippi)
• Denial is not an option in confronting climate change – opinion. (Albany Herald, Georgia)