COAL: A bill that would eliminate almost all coal mine safety enforcement by West Virginia inspectors has been removed from consideration and alternative legislation will be released later this week. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

ALSO:
• Since repeating promises of reviving Kentucky’s coal industry earlier this week, no details have emerged on President Donald Trump’s executive actions to do so. (WKU)
• Testimony before Kentucky regulators indicates Appalachian coal may be having difficulty competing on price. (Platts)
• Environmental groups challenge a decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers allowing coal mining waste to be dumped into Alabama streams. (Birmingham Business Journal)

CLIMATE: Republicans from Florida, South Carolina and other states warn of the risks if their party continues to ignore climate change: “We can’t deal in alternative facts, or alternative realities.” (McClatchy)

WIND:
• Two North Carolina lawmakers introduce a bill halting all new permits for wind farms until a study is conducted determining whether there are impacts on military installations. (Coastal Review Online)
• After winning the bid to develop North Carolina’s first offshore wind farm, Avangrid’s next step is a feasibility plan. (Triangle Business Journal)

SOLAR: Florida lawmakers say consumers need more protection as they implement voter-approved tax exemptions for solar. (Palm Beach Post)

OIL AND GAS:
• At a rally at the state capitol, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice voices support for a controversial fracking practice. (WV Public Broadcasting)
• The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a Hilcorp Energy gas and oil leak in the Mississippi River near Venice, Louisiana, eight months after the company was responsible for an oil spill in one of the state’s lakes. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
• Fracking opponents in Florida plan to gather today as state lawmakers consider banning the practice. (WUSF)

PIPELINES: As South Carolina reviews permit applications for a proposed natural gas pipeline in the state, a meeting was held on Tuesday for property owners who would be affected. (WSPA)

NUCLEAR: Two South Carolina congressmen introduce a bill that would allow nonprofit partners in nuclear plants to take advantage of production tax credits. (Daily Energy Insider)

BIOENERGY: A biomass facility in Georgia will soon be supplying energy to Georgia Power and steam to Procter & Gamble and the Marine Corps. (Albany Herald)

COMMENTARY:
• For years, Florida has been an underachiever in solar power, but the prospects are beginning to brighten and the results are making an economic impact. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
• A North Carolina attorney argues that a carbon tax is a better way to promote solar energy. (Winston-Salem Journal)

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.