CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Utility and state leaders in West Virginia are exploring how carbon trading could help it meet its emissions targets. (ClimateWire)
• A federal appeals court rejects a bid by 27 states, led by West Virginia, to delay the Clean Power Plan. (The New York Times)
• Legislation that would give Virginia General Assembly the power to set the state’s compliance plan is moving through both the state House and Senate. (The News & Advance)

NET METERING: In their bid to reverse a ruling by state regulators, Mississippi’s 11 electric co-ops claim only the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission can set any net metering rules. (Mississippi Watchdog)

CLIMATE:
• A West Virginia lawmaker tells his colleagues global warming is only in “your mind.” (Associated Press)
• Virginia is to receive $120 million from the federal government to mitigate impacts of climate change. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

NUCLEAR:
• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is closely monitoring reactors’ performance in Virginia, North Carolina and other Mid-Atlantic states as a possibly historic snowstorm descends on the region. (Platts)
• Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good says it’s time to consider more reactors to help meet emissions targets under the Clean Power Plan. (Charlotte Business Journal)

EMISSIONS: Brushing aside concerns over the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal, the Tennessee Senate votes to end emissions tests on new cars. (Memphis Daily News)

COAL ASH:
• Environmental groups and local agencies that opposed the Virginia water board’s granting a permit for Dominion Virginia Power’s wastewater disposal plans say they will appeal within 30 days. (Bay Journal)
• A Virginia county prepares to fight Dominion Virginia Power’s controversial plan to flush more than 200 million gallons of toxic coal-ash water into waterways. (InsideNoVA)

SOLAR:
• With the dedication of its first utility-scale system North Charleston is home to nearly a third of all solar initiatives in South Carolina. (The Post and Courier)
• Duke Energy begins construction of a 5 megawatt solar system in Florida as part of its plan to have 500 megawatts from solar online by 2024. (The Jefferson Journal)

FRACKING:
• A bill that would block local controls over fracking is set for a vote in the Florida House. (The News Service of Florida)
• Protesters at Florida’s Capitol dare lawmakers to drink water they say was contaminated by hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania. (Tallahassee Democrat)

COAL: Amid the industry’s decline, the nation’s chief mine safety regulator calls the deaths of three coal miners already in 2016, including one in Kentucky and one in West Virginia, “troubling.” (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

PIPELINES:
• The U.S. Forest Service rejects the latest route proposed for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• Environmentalists hail the rejection of the route proposed for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (WVTF Public Radio)
• A documentary screened in Georgia about the Palmetto Pipeline spotlights oil spills by its developer Kinder Morgan. (Savannah Morning News)

POLITICS: Presidential candidates are likely to face questions about offshore drilling leading up to South Carolina’s February 27 primary. (McClatchy Newspapers)

OIL & GAS: Southwestern Energy Co. will lay off about half of its 1,200 workers in Arkansas. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Georgia Power is on track to install 60 charging station statewide by the end of 2016. (Forsyth Herald)

VIRGINIA: Bipartisan legislation is introduced aimed at lowering utility bills while reducing carbon emissions in order to protect the state’s vulnerable coastline. (Capital News Service)

COMMENTARY:
• Utilities are exerting influence over Louisiana State and other universities to boost their in-state lobbying. (Huffington Post)
• It’s time for developers to reconsider the need for the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (Southern Environmental Law Center)
• Climate change is a moral issue. (The Florida Times-Union)