Plan is set for first commercial wind farm in Virginia

WIND: A developer applies to build the first commercial wind facility in Virginia. (The Roanoke Times)

CLIMATE: A compact of four counties in Southeast Florida projects sea-level rise of at least six inches by 2030, inundating many inland areas. (Saint Peters Blog)

RENEWABLES: Renewable energy developers are planning for changes when the federal investment tax credit expires at the end of 2016. (Bloomberg News)

ALTERNATIVE FUELS: Florida is slated to receive almost $16 million in federal grants to install 893 biofuel pumps at filling stations. (Palm Beach Post)

POLICY:
• Lindsay Graham of South Carolina and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee are part of a new green working group in the U.S. Senate. (Politico)
• More Republicans are starting to take climate change seriously. (Grist)
• North Carolina’s top environmental regulator is proving to be a polarizing figure. (The Raleigh News & Observer)

POLITICS: A nonprofit spotlights how the Koch brothers advance their political agenda with donations to colleges in Virginia, South Carolina and elsewhere. (Center for Public Integrity)

SOLAR: A leading nonprofit in the Southeast asks the North Carolina utility commission to ensure greater access to solar power for the state’s faith communities. (Southern Environmental Law Center)

NUCLEAR:
• The TVA’s integrated resource plan reflects the likely retirement of one or more reactors by 2030. (Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal)
• Questions loom as the Plant Vogtle project switches contractors for the third time. (Morris News Service)
• Duke Energy looks to extend the license of its Brunswick reactor for as long as 60 years. (Wilmington StarNews)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: North Carolina’s refusal to develop its own plan to reach targeted emissions cuts puts it on a collision course with the U.S. EPA. (Charlotte Business Journal)

POWER GRID: A new government report warns of hacking attacks as operators expand the use of advanced monitors that depend on GPS signals. (EnergyWire)

PIPELINES: Dominion Energy plans to re-route the proposed natural gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline through a mountain to avoid a salamander habitat. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

COAL:
• As coal fades from energy policy debates nationally, it remains front-and-center in West Virginia. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• Cliffs Natural Resources has cut its workforce in half at two coal mines in Alabama and West Virginia. (Associated Press)

BLANKENSHIP TRIAL:
• A mine operator testifies to a ​“code of silence” inhibiting miners from complaining about unsafe conditions. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• Will the sharp and continuing criticism of mine safety regulations sway the jury in defense of coal baron Don Blankenship? (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

OIL & GAS: An industry lobby launches an ad campaign to promote drilling offshore South Carolina. (EIN News)

UTILITIES: Duke Energy’s CEO tells Piedmont Natural Gas employees ​“we will continue to grow.” (Charlotte Business Journal)

COMMENTARY:
• Duke Energy’s acquisition of Piedmont Natural Gas will grow its political clout and bias for natural gas over renewable sources of power. (Facing South blog)
• West Virginia needs to help residents transition to new livelihoods and meaningful work beyond coal. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• Will state officials represent local concerns about two pipeline routes in Georgia? (Columbus Ledger-Inquirer)