WIND: One of the Republican lawmakers who recently called on the Trump administration to shut down a North Carolina wind farm appears to have softened his stance after touring the facility. (Southeast Energy News)

UTILITIES: Virginia lawmakers kill a bill that would have prohibited campaign contributions from utilities. (Capital News Service)

COAL ASH:
• Duke Energy is telling homeowners near coal ash sites they must waive any right to future legal claims if they accept assistance for their water supplies. (Associated Press)
• A decision in the Tennessee Valley Authority coal ash trial may not come for several months. (Associated Press)
• Three years after the Dan River spill, neighbors still worry about the potential impacts of contamination. (WNCN)
• Virginia lawmakers advance a bill that would require more information on coal ash enclosures. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

COAL:
• Final Senate action to repeal the federal stream protection rule is expected today, followed by President Trump’s signature. (New York Times)
• Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell says there is now “a friend of coal in the White House.” (McClatchy)
• Virginia coal industry backers celebrate the decision. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• A new study says global demand for coal will continue to fall after 2020. (The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register)
• Three lawsuits remain active against the Kemper “clean coal” plant in Mississippi. (Mississippi Watchdog)

EPA: A Florida environmental group pressures Sen. Bill Nelson to oppose Scott Pruitt’s nomination to lead the EPA. (SaintPetersBlog)

PIPELINES: Federal regulators approve a 55-mile natural gas pipeline in South Carolina, opponents vow to keep fighting the project. (WSPA, Greenville Online)

NATURAL GAS: Duke Energy plans a new 400 MW natural gas unit at a North Carolina power plant. (Charlotte Observer)

NUCLEAR: High costs continue to hold back nuclear development in the U.S. (Bloomberg)

COMMENTARY:
• Why Republicans targeted the stream protection rule. (Vox)
• “Corporations are increasingly taking an active role” in promoting clean energy policies. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)

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Ken Paulman

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.