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FRACKING:
• A West Virginia county is set Tuesday to consider the state’s first ban on the disposal of fracking waste. (The Register-Herald)
• A West Virginia lawmaker says the state must pass “forced pooling” of natural gas production or lose jobs and tax revenues to neighboring states. (The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register)
SOLAR:
• The two-year budget proposed by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe includes $2 million to incentivize solar by third-party developers as well as utilities. (Inside Business)
• The extension of the federal Investment Tax Credit looks to extend the solar boom in North Carolina. (Fayetteville Observer)
• Six national parks in Virginia now deploy solar energy. (National Parks Traveler)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: Arkansas and other states prepare their final comments about the plan, which are due January 21. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
GEOTHERMAL: Ground source heat pumps are set to heat and cool a large development in a historic district in Fayetteville, North Carolina. (Kinston.com)
UTILITIES:
• The utilities serving West Virginia file plans for more renewable sources of power, but coal will remain king for a long time. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• The TVA has begun building a nearly $1 billion natural gas-fired power plant in Memphis. (Associated Press)
NUCLEAR: The CEO of Dominion Resources tells Virginia business leaders nuclear deserves a better chance to mitigate climate change. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A West Virginia company begins building the nation’s first plant to convert municipal sold waste into fuel for steel mills. (Renewable Energy from Waste)
COAL ASH:
• Virginia is to decide this week whether to allow Dominion Virginia Power to divert treated water from several coal ash ponds into a nearby creek. (Washington Post)
• North Carolina sets 14 public hearings in March about preliminary risk evaluations of coal ash pits in the state. (Associated Press)
COAL:
• Who pays for reclaiming strip mines is becoming a thorny issue as more coal companies fail in Appalachia. (Forbes)
• West Virginia assesses declining demand for its coal. (The Intelligencer / Wheeling News Register)
• Kentucky utilities are increasingly buying coal produced in other states. (McClatchy Newspapers)
• Fewer West Virginia coal miners failed drug tests in 2015 compared to 2014. (Associated Press)
PIPELINES:
• Two energy companies file for a new pipeline and two compressor stations serving Virginia and West Virginia. (Associated Press)
• Critics of Kinder Morgan’s plans for a pipeline spanning South Carolina, Georgia and northeast Florida spotlight its safety record in other states. (Savannah Morning News)
WEST VIRGINIA: The state’s economic challenges are multiplying as relatively low natural gas prices add to the pain amid coal’s decline. (Bluefield Daily Telegraph)
COMMENTARY:
• An editorial blasts North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory for meeting privately with Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good and other company executives. (Raleigh News & Observer)
• The mayor of Charleston, South Carolina calls for continuing efforts to mitigate rising sea levels after 10 years in office. (The Post and Courier)