West Virginia considering carbon trading

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Utility and state leaders in West Virginia are exploring how carbon trading could help it meet its emissions targets. (ClimateWire)
• A federal appeals court rejects a bid by 27 states, led by West Virginia, to delay the Clean Power Plan. (The New York Times)
• Legislation that would give Virginia General Assembly the power to set the state’s compliance plan is moving through both the state House and Senate. (The News & Advance)

NET METERING: In their bid to reverse a ruling by state regulators, Mississippi’s 11 electric co-ops claim only the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission can set any net metering rules. (Mississippi Watchdog)

CLIMATE:
• A West Virginia lawmaker tells his colleagues global warming is only in ​“your mind.” (Associated Press)
• Virginia is to receive $120 million from the federal government to mitigate impacts of climate change. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

NUCLEAR:
• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is closely monitoring reactors’ performance in Virginia, North Carolina and other Mid-Atlantic states as a possibly historic snowstorm descends on the region. (Platts)
• Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good says it’s time to consider more reactors to help meet emissions targets under the Clean Power Plan. (Charlotte Business Journal)

EMISSIONS: Brushing aside concerns over the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal, the Tennessee Senate votes to end emissions tests on new cars. (Memphis Daily News)

COAL ASH:
• Environmental groups and local agencies that opposed the Virginia water board’s granting a permit for Dominion Virginia Power’s wastewater disposal plans say they will appeal within 30 days. (Bay Journal)
• A Virginia county prepares to fight Dominion Virginia Power’s controversial plan to flush more than 200 million gallons of toxic coal-ash water into waterways. (InsideNoVA)

SOLAR:
• With the dedication of its first utility-scale system North Charleston is home to nearly a third of all solar initiatives in South Carolina. (The Post and Courier)
• Duke Energy begins construction of a 5 megawatt solar system in Florida as part of its plan to have 500 megawatts from solar online by 2024. (The Jefferson Journal)

FRACKING:
• A bill that would block local controls over fracking is set for a vote in the Florida House. (The News Service of Florida)
• Protesters at Florida’s Capitol dare lawmakers to drink water they say was contaminated by hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania. (Tallahassee Democrat)

COAL: Amid the industry’s decline, the nation’s chief mine safety regulator calls the deaths of three coal miners already in 2016, including one in Kentucky and one in West Virginia, ​“troubling.” (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

PIPELINES:
• The U.S. Forest Service rejects the latest route proposed for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• Environmentalists hail the rejection of the route proposed for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (WVTF Public Radio)
• A documentary screened in Georgia about the Palmetto Pipeline spotlights oil spills by its developer Kinder Morgan. (Savannah Morning News)

POLITICS: Presidential candidates are likely to face questions about offshore drilling leading up to South Carolina’s February 27 primary. (McClatchy Newspapers)

OIL & GAS: Southwestern Energy Co. will lay off about half of its 1,200 workers in Arkansas. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Georgia Power is on track to install 60 charging station statewide by the end of 2016. (Forsyth Herald)

VIRGINIA: Bipartisan legislation is introduced aimed at lowering utility bills while reducing carbon emissions in order to protect the state’s vulnerable coastline. (Capital News Service)

COMMENTARY:
• Utilities are exerting influence over Louisiana State and other universities to boost their in-state lobbying. (Huffington Post)
• It’s time for developers to reconsider the need for the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (Southern Environmental Law Center)
• Climate change is a moral issue. (The Florida Times-Union)