Judge dismisses challenge to North Carolina wind farm

WIND: A North Carolina judge clears the way for the largest wind farm in the Southeast along the state’s coast. (Raleigh News & Observer)

ALSO:
• A North Carolina Senate committee approves new restrictions on wind farms near military bases and low-level flight corridors. (Charlotte Observer)
• A bill aimed to stop the Clean Line transmission line across Arkansas, Tennessee and Oklahoma passes a U.S. House committee as a matching bill in the Senate awaits action. (Arkansas News)

CLIMATE: An alliance of more than 50 environmental and other organizations clash with Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe over his support for proposed natural gas pipelines and offshore drilling. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

FRACKING: Doctors express concern over fracking’s effects in two West Virginia communities. (The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register)

NUCLEAR:
• Virginia Tech is to receive federal funding for developing advanced communication methods for nuclear facilities. (World Nuclear News)
• A research collaborative in Alabama begins work on next-generation nuclear reactor designs. (Birmingham Business Journal)

COAL ASH: A week after Gov. Pat McCrory vetoed ash management legislation, he and lawmakers have yet to forge a compromise. (Daily Tar Heel)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The CEO of a Florida transit authority is ​“fairly optimistic” it will start buying electric buses within a year. (SaintPetersBlog)

UTILITIES: The CEO of Southern Co. is elected chairman of the industry’s leading trade group. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)

COAL: As the summer cooling season begins, rising natural gas prices bode well for Appalachian coal. (Platts)

ACADEMIA: West Virginia University bristles over being left out of new government research aimed at advancing fossil energy-based technologies. (The Exponent Telegram)

EFFICIENCY:
• Green groups hold the first-ever Bluegrass Sustainable Business Summit in Lexington, Kentucky. (WUKY Public Radio)
• Greenville, South Carolina and an area builder spotlight the city’s first ​“net-zero energy” home. (Greenville Online)

SOLAR: A startup partners with Norfolk, Virginia to produce a solar-powered bench with charging outlets for mobile devices. (The Virginian-Pilot)

COMMENTARY:
• An environmental group blasts a Georgia developer’s continuing bid to build a coal-fired power plant. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
• Virginia officials should heed research by Duke University on coal ash pollution and its effects on drinking water. (The Daily Progress)
• Political infighting in Georgia and North Carolina over how to deal with ash ponds is likely to grow. (Forbes)
• If a new commission on eminent domain does its job, Georgia can deal prudently with pipeline proposals. (Savannah Morning News)