U.S. court orders EPA to redo pollution rules

POLLUTION: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Tuesday ordered the EPA to redo sulfur-dioxide and nitrogen-oxide standards for 13 states, including Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. (Associated Press)

CLIMATE:
• A new ​“Risky Business” report finds climate change threatens the Southeast region’s manufacturing boom. (ClimateProgress)
• Florida Gov. Rick Scott is to receive an award for being a friend to the environment from the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida, which is supported by TECO Energy, Florida Power & Light, and Gulf Power. (Tampa Bay Times)

SOLAR:
• A solar-energy ballot initiative pending in the Florida Supreme Court could have a difficult time passing if it goes before voters in 2016, a new poll suggests. (News Service of Florida)
• Duke Energy has purchased development rights for two southern California solar projects with a total capacity of 50 megawatts, boosting its total there to 116 megawatts. (Charlotte Business Journal)

WIND: A lawsuit targeting Virginia’s first commercial wind farm claims a local zoning ordinance is inadequate to protect the public against alleged risks from wind turbines. (The Roanoke Times)

CLEAN ENERGY: A new report spotlights the strategies and front groups used by fossil fuel and utility corporations to attack clean energy policies. (Energy & Policy Institute blog)

FRACKING:
• A majority of the commissioners in Stokes County, North Carolina support local protections against the possible harmful effects of fracking that are stiffer than state environmental rules. (Winston-Salem Journal)
• Why Virginians should care about fracking. (WVTF Public Radio)

COAL GASIFICATION: Mississippi Power adds another $9 million to the estimated $6 billion-plus cost of the Kemper coal gasification plant and reasserts a startup of operations in the first half of 2016. (The Sun Herald)

PIPELINES:
• The National Wildlife Federation says it will sue the federal government over what it considers lax enforcement of pipeline safety laws. (The Hill)
• ExxonMobil’s deal to settle claims from the 2013 Pegasus oil pipeline spill leaves water vulnerable for 750,000 Arkansas residents and businesses, environmental groups warned. (InsideClimate News)

FLORIDA: A debate erupts over Florida Power & Light’s plan to buy a coal-fired power plant and then shut it down in two years. (News Service of Florida)

COMMENTARY:
• The best hope opponents have of defeating the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline through Virginia is to deny the economic need. (The Roanoke Times)
• The Clean Power Plan ​“will mark a major step forward” toward a cleaner energy solution. (Aiken Standard, South Carolina)
• This week’s pledges by large U.S. corporations to help mitigate climate change signal an important response. (The Daily Times, Maryville, Tennessee)