NUCLEAR: At a hearing before South Carolina regulators, SCANA executives say they expect another $1.5 billion in cost overruns for a nuclear expansion, and that abandoning the project is a possibility. (Aiken Standard, Associated Press)

GRID: The president of Duke Energy says the company plans $13 billion in upgrades to its North Carolina power grid. (Charlotte Business Journal)

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SOLAR:
• Policy changes could help Georgia and South Carolina overcome North Carolina in solar installations. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• A conservative gathering in North Carolina questions the benefits of the state’s solar surge. (Goldsboro News Argus)
• Dominion Virginia Power touts its utility-scale solar efforts. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

WIND: Despite resistance, “wind is coming to the Southeast.” (InsideClimate News)

PIPELINES:
• Exports facilitated by new pipeline projects are expected to drive a surge in shale gas production in West Virginia and other states. (Reuters)
• Lawyers say West Virginia acted prematurely last month when the state granted a water quality permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. (Roanoke Times)
• Despite objections from landowners, North Carolina approved water quality certifications for a natural gas pipeline project. (Greenville Online)

COAL: Georgia Power cuts 80 jobs at a coal plant as the facility is downgraded for use as a reserve unit. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

POLLUTION:
• A former Southern Company lobbyist is in charge of enforcing federal environmental law. (E&E News)
• A lawsuit filed by Connecticut seeks a crackdown on emissions from power plants in Southeast and Midwest states. (CTPost)

CLIMATE: An Atlanta mayoral candidate is criticized for saying he is “kind of bit a conspiracy theorist” on climate change, but later walks back the statement. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

COMMENTARY:
• A retired coal miner asks: “if the free market is no longer betting on coal, why should the government?” (Louisville Courier-Journal)
• As the coal industry declines, black lung cases continue to rise. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
• A former EPA official says fracking doesn’t pose a threat to Florida. (Fort Myers News-Press)

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.