Debate grows over clean energy options in Virginia

UTILITIES: An official’s recommendation to reject a proposed 100 percent renewable energy offering by Appalachian Power Co. is heightening the debate over clean energy options in Virginia. (Southeast Energy News)

SOLAR:
• An ordinance that requires new houses in South Miami to have solar panels was approved on Tuesday. (Miami Herald)
• A freestanding machine that fans out a series of solar panels and then tilts to follow the sun called the Smartflower is being installed at Florida State University. (WCTV)

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NUCLEAR:
• A report from environmental groups released Tuesday urges South Carolina regulators to stop construction at the Summer nuclear plant, which could save utility customers as much as $10 billion. (Associated Press)
• A Tennessee lawmaker praises a bill that revives nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, which he believes is an ideal spot for waste currently stored in Tennessee. (WMOT)
• Regulatory officials have approved Florida Power & Light’s request to pump nuclear wastewater from a proposed nuclear project into the ground. (Keys News)

ENERGY: Despite praising the work of scientists at a ​“clean coal” lab in West Virginia during a recent visit, Energy Secretary Rick Perry has proposed significant cuts to the Energy Department’s Office of Fossil Energy. (New York Times)

NATURAL GAS: Energy Secretary Rick Perry wants to increase U.S. exports of natural gas from Louisiana and other states in an effort to achieve global ​“energy dominance.” (Associated Press)

PIPELINES:
• Business and labor groups sent a letter in support of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to Virginia’s candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. (Augusta Free Press)
• Supporters and opponents of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project voiced their opinions Tuesday at a public hearing held by the North Carolina DEQ. (Fayetteville Observer)

COAL: Members of a Kentucky community attended a roundtable discussion with a German energy expert, who spoke about how that country’s coal communities have survived the industry’s downturn. (WYMT)

COMMENTARY:
• A climate policy expert says a leaked document that states nuclear plants and coal are not profitable is an ​“unpleasant surprise” for the Trump administration. (Progressive Pulse)
• The ​“war on coal” narrative oversimplifies what is happening in the energy economy and ignores fundamental market realities, including the role of natural gas. (Palm Beach Post)
• The West Virginia Coal Association praises Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s recent visit to the state. (State Journal)