Utility: No more delays on new nuclear reactors

NUCLEAR: Georgia Power asserts there will be no more delays beyond 2019 for the two new reactors at Plant Vogtle whose costs now exceed $14 billion. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)

BIOMASS: South Carolina’s role in the increasingly controversial wood pellet industry could expand with approval of a new export terminal. (The State)

PIPELINES: Owners of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline are suing Virginia landowners to survey the proposed route. (The Daily Progress, Charlottesville)

SOLAR: Duke Energy’s purchase in eastern North Carolina increases its solar capacity to 154 megawatts in the state. (Charlotte Business Journal)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: More than 800 owners of electric vehicles in Georgia were wrongly denied -- but will receive -- a $5,000 tax credit for 2014. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

COAL:
• While Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina and West Virginia sue the EPA over the Clean Power Plan, they are also preparing to comply. (InsideClimate News)
• The United Mine Workers union vows to contest the closure of coal-fired power plants in Appalachia. (The State Journal, West Virginia)
• A judge rejects an application for a coal export terminal in Louisiana citing accident risks; the operator will re-apply. (The Times-Picayune)
• Patriot Coal of West Virginia and Kentucky-based Blackhawk Mining have submitted a joint bid to buy now-bankrupt Patriot Coal. (Associated Press)
• A settlement is allowing a coal plant operator to slowly pay fines levied for violations at sites in eight Kentucky counties. (Louisville Courier-Journal)

COAL ASH: North Carolina cites pit operators for not securing permits to dispose of Duke Energy’s coal ash. (Charlotte Business Journal)

COMMENTARY:
• The former CEO of Associated Industries of Florida argues for allowing seismic testing for oil off of Florida’s coasts while a conservationist argues against it. (Florida Times-Union, Palm Beach Post)
• Greenpeace Charlotte hits the streets to re-power the city’s schools with renewable energy. (Charlotte Five blog)
• Why the East Coast needs to pay attention to the Santa Barbara oil spill. (Huffington Post blog)
• While neither of the six big oil companies calling for a carbon tax is based in the U.S., their argument should resonate in Washington. (Bloomberg)