FPL transmission line designed to sidestep regulators, critics say

GRID: Florida Power & Light is building a 176-mile transmission line that critics say was designed to escape regulatory review because its voltage falls below a threshold that would require more extensive scrutiny. (New York Times)

ALSO:
• Officials at San Antonio, Texas’ municipal utility acknowledge they can’t always control grid reliability but assure city leaders they’re ready for a hot summer, and likely better prepared than the state grid as a whole. (San Antonio Report)
• Texas grid officials create a map of critical facilities needed to keep power flowing as part of reforms instituted after last year’s winter storm. (KTBC)

COAL: The Tennessee Supreme Court hears arguments in a case to determine whether workers cleaning up a 2008 coal ash spill can sue a contractor for damages they say were caused by exposure to the toxic substance. (Knoxville News-Sentinel)

SOLAR:
• A construction company begins hiring for a yet-to-be-announced solar project that’s expected to be the largest in Arkansas. (Jonesboro Sun)
• A solar cooperative seeks members in three West Virginia counties. (My Buckhannon)
• Entergy announces the completion of a 100 MW solar project in Mississippi. (Mississippi Today)

CLIMATE:
• Hampton, Virginia, develops a flooding resiliency plan as part of a coastal region that’s seen more than 18 inches of sea level rise since the 1920s. (Virginian-Pilot)
• Meteorologists warn the first storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season could develop abruptly and strike Florida before the end of the week. (Tampa Bay Times)
• A climate scientist at Texas A&M University courts fame by taking on climate change deniers at their own conference, as well as podcaster Joe Rogan and others. (E&E News)

WIND: An American Electric Power subsidiary seeks approval from Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas regulators for 810 MW of wind power to be added this year. (news release)

BIOMASS: The European Union considers new limits on wood pellets harvested from primary forests, which the biomass industry in North Carolina and the Southeast sees as a major threat to its business. (WFAE/NPR)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Activists rally at West Virginia’s capitol complex for stronger environmental protections and justice in state lawmaking and enforcement. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

OIL & GAS: A gas company moves forward with two pipeline expansion projects on the Texas Eastern Transmission system to deliver more gas to a Louisiana export terminal. (Natural Gas Intelligence)

NUCLEAR: Two temporary storage areas for nuclear waste in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico have yet to open as the U.S. seeks a permanent place to put its radioactive trash. (American Scholar)

POLITICS: A North Carolina bill would resurrect a 35% state tax credit for renewable energy projects that ended in 2015 but has still netted more than $1 billion for homeowners and companies in the years since. (Winston-Salem Journal)