SOLAR: Thousands of Louisiana homeowners did not receive a tax credit from the state for solar panel installations, leaving them with bills as much as $12,500 each. (The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report)
ALSO:
• A bill in South Carolina offers new tax exemptions for unused land or farmland to be developed as solar farms. (Greenville Journal)
• A North Carolina solar developer is proposing a 20 MW array on Virginia farmland. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• Rather than replace an underwater cable, the Coast Guard will convert a North Carolina lighthouse to LEDs powered by solar. (Raleigh News & Observer)
NUCLEAR: The head of the Georgia Public Service Commission says it “is without question” that Toshiba will complete the Vogtle nuclear project. (WSAV)
COAL ASH:
• Residents near some of Duke Energy’s coal ash ponds in North Carolina met to consider whether they want the company to provide them with a water line connection or filtration system, as mandated by state law. (Salisbury Post)
• A Georgia bill aims to “increase responsible stewardship” of coal ash. (Golden Isles News)
OIL AND GAS: West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice backs legislation that allows horizontal drilling without landowners’ consent, saying “I’m going to make a lot of people mad, probably, at me, but I cannot understand why in the world we can’t get that through.” (Metro News)
PIPELINES:
• Federal officials prohibited journalists from interviewing citizens or recording comments at a public pipeline hearing in North Carolina. (NC Policy Watch)
• Protesters are expected at a Virginia pipeline hearing today. (Virginian-Pilot)
CLIMATE: A new nonprofit seeks to push for action on sea level rise in Virginia. (Hampton Roads Business Journal)
HYDRO: The Southeast National Renewable Energy Center at Florida Atlantic University will begin offshore testing in its efforts to convert the Gulf Stream into a source of electric power. (WFSU)
GRID: Virginia lawmakers advance a bill that would allow utilities to bypass local zoning for some transmission projects. (Roanoke Times)
ELECTRIC CARS: A Kentucky group aims to expand electric vehicle adoption. (LEO Weekly)
EFFICIENCY: An Arkansas county considers efficiency upgrades to public buildings expected to save $9 million over the next 15 years. (Arkansas Online)
COMMENTARY:
• An industry group says “there has been a real lack of science-driven information” in Florida’s fracking debate. (Naples Daily News)
• Citizens and advocates push Georgia legislators to support coal ash reforms. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
• A Tennessee pastor pushes the TVA to clean up its coal ash ponds. (The Tennessean)
• While nuclear power continues to struggle, solar is booming. (Union of Concerned Scientists)