Louisiana juggles Clean Power Plan preparation, court challenge

CLEAN POWER PLAN: Louisiana’s environmental chief prepares to comply with the Clean Power Plan while the state sues to block it. (Bloomberg)

MISSISSIPPI: The number of clean energy ​“flops” in the state grows. (Fortune)

CLIMATE: North Carolina is among coastal states expressing growing interest in ​“livable” seawalls to mitigate rising sea levels. (Scientific American)

COAL ASH: A North Carolina county agrees to provide water to residents whose well water may be contaminated by a nearby ash pond. (Salisbury Post)

NATURAL GAS: Rockingham County, North Carolina is pegged as a site for a new gas-fired power plant. (Winston-Salem Journal)

SOLAR:
• A school district in North Carolina looks to join the more than 3,700 schools nationwide with solar installations. (Winston-Salem Journal)
• A large solar system sought by Florida Power & Light draws criticism for how it might upset ​“peace and quiet” in the area. (WCJB)
• St. Petersburg College in Florida will hold a free public forum July 28 on two proposed solar amendments to the state’s Constitution. (TBN Weekly)
• A developer pitches a proposed 400-acre solar system to the Roanoke, Virginia city council. (The Randolph Leader)
• A charity selects a family to live in a net-zero energy home in Greenville, South Carolina powered mostly by a rooftop system. (WYFF)

COAL:
• A leading utility supplier restructures to adjust to coal’s decline in power generation. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Short answers to hard questions about the ​“clean coal” technology under development in Mississippi. (The New York Times)
• Former coal miners in Southwest Virginia flock to job retraining programs. (WCYB)

NUCLEAR: The TVA’s power ramp-up of its Watts Bar 2 reactor clears a 40 percent threshold. (Power Engineering)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia are among states that charge extra fees for non-commercial plug-in vehicles. (Hybrid Cars)

COMMENTARY:
• ​“Climate gentrification” is entering the global warming lexicon as the number of desirable properties are found away from Florida’s coasts. (The Florida Times-Union)
• South Carolina should re-evaluate pay-as-you-go financing for new nuclear power plants. (The Post and Courier)
• Duke Energy’s worrisome move to silence nonprofits. (Raleigh News & Observer)
• The backstory on how Southern Co. won and has kept funding flowing for the oft-delayed, over-budget ​“clean coal” power plant in Mississippi. (DeSmog blog)

CORRECTION: Yesterday’s digest included an incorrect link to our coverage of PACE financing in Florida. The correct link is here.