POLICY: Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV, reportedly is under consideration to be the next Secretary of Energy. (The Hill)

SOLAR:
• A new report ranking Florida third in the nation for solar potential is designed to help advocates fend of anti-solar proposals in the state’s legislature. (Environment Florida / WUSF)
SolarCity’s entry into the Florida market signals confidence in the state after the defeat of Amendment 1 and passage of Amendment 4. (PV Magazine)
• A St. Petersburg Republican files a bill in Florida to implement solar tax breaks outlined under Amendment 4. (Florida Politics)

CLIMATE: How South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s energy policies could influence her actions on climate change as U.N. Ambassador. (News.Mic)

NATURAL GAS: Exports of liquefied natural gas from Louisiana and perhaps elsewhere is a sticking point in an energy bill that could pass Congress before year’s end. (E&E Daily)

COAL:
• Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV, sees progress on an extension of miners’ health insurance but nothing yet for their pensions. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• Can the U.S. follow Germany’s example by helping coal workers become solar installers? (Greenbiz.com)
• A key Democratic state lawmaker in Virginia doesn’t see coal jobs coming back and signals the state’s need to help impacted communities in other ways. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

UTILITIES:
Duke Energy pushes back at a frequent critic’s bid to require a public hearing over the utility’s plan to transition a coal-fired power plant to burn natural gas. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• A county board unanimously rejects a Sierra Club appeal to stop the TVA from using Memphis drinking water to cool a natural gas-fueled power plant. (Memphis Flyer)

NUCLEAR:
• Federal regulators extend the operating license of Entergy’s Grand Gulf plant in Mississippi for 20 years through 2044. (Mississippi Today)
• Georgia Power clears two construction milestones for its reactors under construction at Plant Vogtle. (World Nuclear News)

CLIMATE:
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is joining the board of a new international organization of mayors targeting climate change mitigation. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
• A Miami educator is called the “Jane Goodall of climate change.” (Miami Herald)

EFFICIENCY:
• St. Petersburg, Florida is using its BP oil spill settlement money to fund its drive towards more efficiency and renewable energy. (ThinkProgress)
Hillsborough County is among the latest Florida jurisdictions to launch a PACE program(Tampa Bay Times/Southeast Energy News archive)

OFFSHORE DRILLING:
• With a cost-cutting plan in hand, BP is set to wade back into drilling off the coast of Louisiana. (Wall Street Journal)
Environmentalists and businesses alike prepare to fight against seismic testing off South Carolina’s coast. (South Strand News)

PIPELINES: Opponents of a natural gas liquids pipeline across Kentucky call for a more a thorough analysis before it’s approved. (WKYU)

COMMENTARY:
Virginia’s approval of a second Tesla store in the state signals its penchant for free markets. Could solar from Tesla’s sister company be far behind? (Bacon’s Rebellion)
Georgia Power ratepayers are getting a “lump of uranium” this Christmas in the form of higher rates to pay for two often-delayed, over-budget, nuclear reactors. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• An advocate for nuclear energy spotlights South Carolina’s reliance on its seven reactors with two more under construction. (Aiken Standard)
• The changing political climate may make room for more “clean coal” plants. (Forbes)

Jim Pierobon, a policy, marketing and social media strategist, was a founding contributor to Southeast Energy News. He passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer in 2018.

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