Controversial provisions added to North Carolina renewable energy bill

NOTE TO READERS: Southeast Energy News is taking a break for Independence Day. The email digest will return on Wednesday, July 5.

RENEWABLE ENERGY: A North Carolina Senate committee adopted amendments in a late-evening session to an energy bill that would reduce the state’s commitment to new solar construction and impose a moratorium on wind projects. (Charlotte Business Journal, Raleigh News & Observer)

ALSO:
• However, North Carolina lawmakers are negotiating an agreement that restores the long-negotiated balance of the initial solar reform bill. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Atlanta-based UPS announces that 25 percent of the electricity it consumes will come from renewable energy sources by 2025. (Triad Business Journal)

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DRILLING: Opponents of President Trump’s push to expand offshore drilling say a new study about the impact on marine life bolsters their case even further. (Southeast Energy News)

NUCLEAR: The South Carolina electric companies involved with the troubled Summer nuclear project said Tuesday they hope to know by the end of September whether construction will be completed. (E&E News, subscription)

COAL:
• A U.S. House committee approves the RECLAIM Act, which would speed up funding to help coal communities hurt by the industry downturn. (Charleston Mail-Gazette)
• Population declines in Virginia’s coalfields region will likely continue, with nearly every locality projected to lose residents through 2040. (Roanoke Times)
• A committee examining how decisions are made on controlling coal miners’ exposure to coal dust will meet this week in West Virginia. (Associated Press)

GRID: An outgoing member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission says renewable energy deployment does not harm grid reliability: ​“I say bring on more renewables.” (Reuters)

SOLAR: A 52-megawatt solar project in Mississippi — the state’s largest — is now providing energy to the Mississippi Power grid. (WDAM)

NATURAL GAS: LG&E is nearing completion of a $300 million project to replace outdated underground pipelines in Louisville. (WDRB)

COAL ASH:
• As Georgia Power continues the clean up of one of its coal ash ponds, environmental advocates say there is a threat to nearby water. (Brunswick News)
• Residents of a town in Georgia came together to fight plans to dump coal ash in a local landfill. (Inside Climate News)

BIODIESEL: Arkansas-based Solfuels has begun a trial production of biodiesel. (Biodiesel Magazine)

COMMENTARY:
• A columnist says jobs in the solar industry beat working in a coal mine. (Palm Beach Post)
• A look at Virginia’s wind and solar policies shows the nationwide boom in utility-scale solar includes Virginia, though the state’s full potential in renewable energy has not been realized. (Blue Virginia)