North Carolina ranks eight coal ash sites ​‘high-risk’ for closure

COAL ASH: In a long-awaited step, North Carolina regulators rank eight ash ponds managed by Duke Energy as ​“high risk” for closure by 2019 and 25 ​“intermediate risk” ponds for closure by 2024. (Fayetteville Observer)

ALSO:
• North Carolina regulators want to reassess their ash pond rankings in 18 months. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• Here is what North Carolina’s coal ash rankings mean. (Carolina Public Press)
• North Carolina lawmakers may still change the coal ash closure rules. (Winston Salem-Journal)

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NORTH CAROLINA: Solar advocates attack a Senate bill designed to impose new financial hurdles and safety precautions on wind and solar systems. (Raleigh News & Observer)

NUCLEAR:
• A Louisiana Congressman challenges the president of Southern Company’s nuclear unit on why costly new reactors are a better investment than the latest natural gas generators. (E&E Daily)
• Hearings about Georgia Power’s long-term generation needs resume with a sharper focus on the option for more nuclear reactors. (WABE Public Radio)

UTILITIES: Shareholders of Florida Power & Light’s parent company want it to disclose campaign contributions and report on the costs of mitigating sea-level rise. (Miami Herald)

SOLAR:
• The Florida Solar Energy Center is tapped to train instructors for the Department of Energy’s new ​“Solar Ready Vets” initiative. (Space Coast Daily)
• The most productive day so far this year for a pilot solar system in Mississippi that tracks the sun generated enough electricity to power 58 homes. (Jackson Free Press)

WIND:
• Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander urges his constituents to oppose a large wind farm proposed in Cumberland County. (The Chattanoogan)
• Several factors point to a significant increase in wind energy commitments in parts of the Southern U.S. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
• Advocates look forward to next steps expected this summer by federal regulators toward leasing tracts off the South Carolina coast. (ReNews)

COAL:
• Federal regulators consider limiting the practice of allowing coal companies to ​“self-bond” for future cleanup costs. (Reuters)
• West Virginia is among the states with a lot to lose if coal companies cannot live up to their reclamation obligations. (Associated Press)
• A new study by Public Citizen spotlights pay increases coal executives awarded themselves as their companies were headed for bankruptcy. (Climate Progress)
• Parties interested in helping communities redevelop their economies are urged to think boldly in their bids for federal grants. (Metro News of West Virginia)

PIPELINES: A new study commissioned by eight communities in Virginia and West Virginia estimates significant unaccounted-for costs along the route proposed for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. (Metro News of West Virginia)

NATURAL GAS: The U.S. Coast Guard prepares for increased traffic off Louisiana’s coast of tankers shipping liquefied natural gas to overseas markets. (LNG World Shipping)

CLIMATE: Fort Lauderdale is becoming an edifice of risk as rising sea levels lay siege to its 165 miles of canals. (InsideClimate News)

OIL & GAS: Those researching the impact of Shell’s recent oil leak into the Gulf include scientists from universities in Georgia, Florida and Mississippi. (UGA Today)

TRANSMISSION: Local codes and rights-of-way in central Virginia complicate citizens’ efforts to influence changes to a high-voltage power line sought by Dominion Virginia Power. (Orange County Review)

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GRID: A national effort led by a University of Central Florida professor receives a federal grant to modernize and sustain the nation’s power grid. (Orlando Business Journal)

COMMENTARY:
• It’s past time for North Carolina to stop stalling on Duke Energy’s coal-ash cleanups. (Southern Environmental Law Center)
• Late is better than never for West Virginia Gov. Tomblin to begin assessing how coal mining sites can be re-purposed. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• With one hand North Carolina welcomes veterans to work on solar but with the other hand it’s chasing those solar jobs away. (Fayetteville Observer)