Virginia judge appears reluctant to order costly coal ash transfer

COAL ASH: The judge in a closely-watched trial in Virginia appears reluctant to order Dominion Virginia Power to move 3 million of tons of ash due to the projected cost. (The Daily Progress)

ALSO:
• Elevated levels of a potentially hazardous metal are found near a Georgia landfill tied to the ash disposed there. (Athens Banner-Herald, Atlanta Constitution-Journal)
• Kentucky is months away from complying with federal regulations that went into effect last year. (WKMS Public Radio)

RENEWABLES:
• Georgia Power agrees to add 1,200 megawatts of renewable energy by 2021. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
• A Virginia environmental group looks to sustain momentum following a clean energy forum this month. (Fairfax Times)

SOLAR:
• The CEO of a rural electric cooperative explains the genesis of Virginia’s first community solar project. (Southeast Energy News)
• An environmental group in Alabama hopes its new small solar array will inspire interest in the technology. (Alabama Media Group)

UTILITIES:
• A bill proposed in the North Carolina legislature would end electric utility monopolies. (WRAL)
• An internship program offers high school students a peek inside a Duke Energy power plant in North Carolina. (Hickory Record)

NUCLEAR:
• Georgia Power begins geological and water studies across 7,000 acres in a Georgia county as part of an option on a new reactor there. (Albany Herald)
• A GE Hitachi research center in North Carolina sets a test to help lower the cost of next-generation reactors. (Energy Thoughts blog)

NATURAL GAS: A seventh company wants to build a terminal in southwest Louisiana for exporting liquefied natural gas. (Associated Press)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Dominion Virginia Power plan to help ratepayers charge their EVs at night aims to serve as many as 60,000 vehicles by 2021. (WTVR)

COAL:
• Miners reflect on the ​“brotherhood” forged by working for coal companies in Appalachia. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
• The United Mine Workers of America reach a tentative new labor agreement with Murray Energy and other companies. (Pittsburgh Business Times)

FRACKING:
• An industry group draws scrutiny for its role in a state review of fracking regulations. (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star)
• Fracking could be ending in Arkansas. (Arkansas Business)

EFFICIENCY: Richmond, Virginia earns recognition for its energy and sustainability initiatives. (WAVE)

PIPELINES: South Carolina residents remember the chaos and pollution spawned by the rupture of a large diesel oil pipeline 20 years ago today. (Greenville News)

COMMENTARY:
• The new head of the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club argues state energy policy shouldn’t be controlled by Dominion Virginia Power. (The Virginian-Pilot)
• Two solar advocates and a state senator make the case for lowering taxes on solar systems in Florida. (Crestview News Bulletin, Pensacola News Journal)
• The head of a trade group claims seismic testing for oil and gas drilling won’t harm fish. (Coastal Review Online)