SOLAR: North Carolina’s top environmental official backs tougher restrictions on solar power. (WRAL)
ALSO:
• The developer of what he expects will be North Carolina’s largest solar array explains how the project came to fruition. (Charlotte Observer)
• A Charlotte developer is planning a 70 MW solar farm in South Carolina. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Augusta, Georgia is evaluating locations for up to 3 MW of solar panels. (WAGT)
• Savannah, Georgia may be emerging as a solar leader. (Savannah Tribune)
• Officials in a North Carolina town will vote next week on a proposed solar project. (Goldsboro News-Argus)
• A West Virginia solar cooperative continues to grow. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Clean Power Plan opponents’ appeal to the Supreme Court to delay implementation is seen as a legal longshot. (Greenwire)
• Governors from Alabama and North Carolina are among those railing against the plan. (Birmingham Business Journal, Charlotte Observer)
• Virginia’s House approves a bill requiring legislative approval of Clean Power Plan compliance. (Richmond Times Dispatch)
OFFSHORE DRILLING:
• Actors Kate Walsh, Ted Danson and Sam Waterston join a summit in Washington D.C. to oppose offshore drilling in the Atlantic. (McClatchy)
• Activists in March will encircle the Superdome in New Orleans to protest an auction of oil and gas leases in the Gulf. (Institute for Southern Studies)
• A North Carolina town adopts a resolution opposing seismic testing offshore. (Coastal Review Online)
FRACKING: The Florida House approves a bill prohibiting local bans on drilling while enacting new oversight. (SaintPetersBlog)
COAL:
• Analysts say coal bankruptcies are unlikely to resolve the nation’s supply glut. (Bloomberg)
• At an industry gathering, Murray Energy CEO Robert Murray says taxes should be raised on tobacco, alcohol and natural gas to fund tax breaks for the coal industry. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
COAL ASH:
• Nearly two years after the Dan River spill, North Carolina lawmakers have yet to come up with a solution for storing the state’s coal ash. (Daily Tar Heel)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority plans to permanently close a Memphis-area coal ash pond. (Memphis Flyer)
• Duke Energy beings shipping coal ash by rail, instead of by truck, from a North Carolina power plant site. (WSOC)
• Feb. 3 will be the last day for residents of a Georgia county to comment on a proposed rail yard for coal ash shipping. (Florida Times-Union)
TRANSMISSION:
• A new study says transmission upgrades will be needed for widespread adoption of renewable energy in the U.S. (Science)
• Developers of a wind-energy transmission line announce a 50 MW purchase agreement with the city of Tallahassee. (North American Wind Power)
UTILITIES:
• A new survey finds key differences between utilities and their customers on the growth of distributed generation. (Utility Dive)
• After years of enjoying a cost advantage, West Virginia is now paying about the same for utilities as other neighboring states. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
OVERSIGHT:
• Kentucky’s governor proposes a nearly 10 percent cut for the state’s Energy and Environment Cabinet. (Louisville Courier-Journal)
• Tennessee’s state Senate approves a bill to eliminate emissions testing for new cars. (Associated Press)
TECHNOLOGY: Students at an Alabama high school are building an electric car. (Cleburne News)
COMMENTARY: Why a national movement is opposing offshore drilling on the East Coast. (The Hill)