Florida utility faces growing opposition to rate boost for new nuclear plants

NUCLEAR: Various groups join Miami in opposing Florida Power & Light’s move to charge customers $22 million for two new reactors that may never be built without an analysis of whether they make economic sense. (Palm Beach Post, Miami Herald)

ALSO: Miami-Dade County calls on Florida Power & Light to control the spread of saltwater used to cool two reactors at its Turkey Point plant. (Palm Beach Post)

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UTILITIES: A non-profit urges Florida Power & Light customers to comment during upcoming public hearings on its proposed 24% increase of basic rates. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)

SOLAR:
• A clean energy group in North Carolina says it will appeal the state’s rejection of its closely-watched third-party power sales agreement with a church. (Charlotte Observer)
• The Department of Energy adds Fort Bragg in North Carolina to its ​“Solar Ready Vets” training sites. (Fayetteville Observer)

POLITICS: A growing number of candidates in Kentucky are reckoning with coal’s demise and are outlining responses to deal with it. (Grist)

STORAGE: Why Alevo chose Concord, North Carolina as its U.S. hub for developing its next generation utility-scale ​“GridBank” battery. (Richmond County Daily Journal)

CLIMATE:
• Southeast Florida and the Louisiana Gulf Coast are represented in Congress by lawmakers who deny sea levels are rising due to climate change. (Fast Company)
• The mayor of Coral Gables, Florida sees the urgency of dealing with rising sea levels. (WLRN Public Radio)
• Researchers find expanding the network of pump stations throughout Miami Beach and New Orleans may be the most effective way of dealing with rising sea levels. (Physics.org)

COAL:
• To smooth West Virginia’s transition away from coal, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito calls on current and future presidents to ​“ease up on regulations, give longer timelines and move on research and development.” (The Hill)
• Kentucky moves to spend $30 million of federal funds on projects to redevelop coalfields. (WKYU Public Radio)
• West Virginia Gov. Ray Tomblin hosts a public workshop today to discuss economic development initiatives aimed at helping coal-dependent communities. (West Virginia Public Radio)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: Implementation of the plan would drive coal’s share of U.S. power generating sources to 18% by 2040, down from a peak of 50% in 2005. (Platts)

COAL ASH:
• Kentucky utilities want surcharges to help pay for ash disposal. (Public News Service)
• A test of water samples by Duke University researchers could shed light on water contamination near Dominion Virginia Power’s coal ash ponds. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

WIND: Cumberland County, Tennessee debates the pros and cons of a proposed wind system. (Crossville Chronicle)

PIPELINES:
• Both the proposed Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines hit more snags over their latest route proposals in Virginia. (Natural Gas Intelligence)
• Opponents of the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline in Virginia challenge the objectivity of the Franklin County Board of Supervisors. (The Roanoke Times)

OIL & GAS: A judge awards $7 million to family members of a woman who died of cancer years after laundering asbestos-tainted clothes from her husband’s work at an Louisiana oil company. (AllGov)

EFFICIENCY: Investments to conserve energy in Kingsport, Tennessee’s public schools are more than paying for themselves over the past five years. (Times News)

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ACADEMIA:
• Berry College in Georgia takes aim at energy efficiency and renewable energy sources of power. (Rome News-Tribune)
• Students at a Georgia high school unveil a go-kart they built powered by solar panels. (Bryan County News)

COMMENTARY:
• North Carolina must protect clean water for the public’s health ahead of any other interest, including Duke Energy. (Greensboro News & Record)
• Could coal ash in North Carolina become what the water crisis in Flint is doing to Michigan? (The Mountaineer)
• Shareholders, not ratepayers, should pay for Dominion Virginia Power’s proposed high-voltage transmission line over the James River. (The Virginia Gazette)