Virginia’s DEQ says it won’t review pipelines after all

PIPELINES: Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality said it provided inaccurate information about how it plans to review the impact of two gas pipelines on water quality. (Roanoke Times)

NUCLEAR:
• Southern Co.’s CEO told shareholders Wednesday it may take until summer to determine whether to continue the nuclear project at the Vogtle plant in Georgia. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• Westinghouse has issued a lockout notice to employees at its New Hampshire manufacturing facility, which makes parts slated to be used in nuclear projects in Georgia and South Carolina. (Utility Drive)
• The South Carolina Public Service Commission voted Wednesday to unseal documents for the Summer nuclear project. (The State)

NATURAL GAS: HenderSun Energy is looking to finance the building of a natural gas plant project in Kentucky. (WKU)

COAL:
• As the Kentucky Mining Board holds its final meeting next week and its responsibilities are distributed to other agencies, safety advocates worry about the well-being of the state’s coal miners. (WKU)
• A handful of activists, some of them former coal workers, continue to fight mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia. (E&E News)

SOLAR:
• A new report from the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center shows an industry-wide trend toward more complex net metering and rate design. (Utility Drive)
• Two new solar co-ops in Miami were announced Wednesday, bringing the state’s total to 12. (WLRN)
• A 52 MW solar project has broken ground for a Mississippi co-op. (Solar Industry)

POLITICS: The three Democratic candidates for Virginia’s lieutenant governor said they will not take campaign contributions from Dominion Energy. (Washington Post)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Electric cars continue to grow in popularity, even in conservative states like Tennessee. (Climate Central)

GRID: Florida Power & Light said it is strengthening its Boca Raton power grid to make it more reliable and storm resilient. (Boca Raton Tribune)

COMMENTARY:
• In addition to environmental benefits, jobs and economic development are good reasons to embrace renewable energy in Virginia. (Free Lance-Star)
• Virginia’s lieutenant governor, who is running for governor, proposed the state build a new university with renewable energy as one of its core areas of study – and he might be on to something. (Roanoke Times)