COAL: A municipal utility in Kentucky coal country announces it will stop burning the fuel by 2023, most likely transitioning to natural gas. (Paducah Sun, subscription)

ALSO:
• Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe again vetoed efforts to reinstate a tax credit aimed at helping the coal industry, saying they are ineffective at increasing coal mining jobs. (Bristol Herald Courier)
• Two Florida utilities are shutting down a 632 MW coal plant that is no longer economically competitive. (Florida Times-Union)
• Analysts don’t share the Trump administration’s optimism over the future of the coal industry. (Washington Post)

COAL ASH:
• The majority of those surveyed are concerned about Duke Energy’s coal-ash ponds and also say Duke should pay to clean them up and not charge customers. (Triad Business Journal)
• Two cities in Virginia that are downstream from a Duke Energy coal plant continue their costly search for cleaner drinking water. (Winston-Salem Journal)

WIND: The West Virginia state Senate on Saturday voted to repeal a tax cut for wind power projects in the state. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

SOLAR:
• How a lack of policy support holds back solar development in states like West Virginia. (The Guardian)
• A Florida solar installer is among the first in the state to begin introducing Tesla Powerwalls to customers. (Herald-Tribune)

PIPELINES:
• During a U.S. Senate committee hearing last week, an official at Dominion criticized federal agencies overseeing the permitting process of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.(Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• The Florida Southeast Connection is nearly complete, but has not faced the public outcry that the Keystone XL, Sabal Trail and other pipeline projects have drawn. (The Ledger)
• An environmental group is voicing concerns about impacts in West Virginia from natural gas pipelines and possible drilling while the West Virginia Oil & Natural Gas Association is saying “the projects being developed in this region are a key component to the success of West Virginia and a healthy future for its citizens.” (The State Journal, Herald-Dispatch)

OIL AND GAS:
• A scaled-down version of the chemical tank safety law rollback sought by the natural gas industry passed through the West Virginia House on Friday. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• Citing unresolved health concerns, Republicans are leading the fight to ban fracking in Florida as lawmakers consider banning the practice statewide. (Associated Press)
• After two defeats in federal court, Louisiana tried again Friday to revive its lawsuit that blames oil and gas companies for damage to coastal wetlands. (Associated Press)
• Nearly seven years after BP’s oil spill, Florida says it is just beginning to benefit from billions of dollars in legal settlements and penalties. (Pensacola News Journal)

CLIMATE: Fayetteville, Arkansas adopts an Energy Action Plan to help cut carbon emissions. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

POLITICS: Georgia Democrats have formed a green caucus to target environmental concerns, including coal ash regulation and clean energy promotion. (Savannah Morning News)

COMMENTARY:
• The Trump administration “is bent on resuscitating, not regulating, Big Coal,” while Republican lawmakers in Appalachia push loose safety laws. (New York Times)
• “The Sunshine State is finally going to earn its name” with solar power efforts around Florida. (Herald Tribune)
• How solar can benefit South Carolina farmers. (The Times and Democrat)
• New regulations are a chance for bipartisan progress on coal ash in Virginia.
(Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• Officials must decide how much ratepayers should invest in Mississippi Power to provide fuel diversification. (Sun Herald)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.