The Energy Report
Looking on the bright side, states seek solar benefits
U.S. jobs grew nearly 20 times faster in the solar industry than the whole economy’s national average, reports The Solar Foundation, and some southeastern states are catching the rays of the burgeoning industry with policies encouraging growth in both privately-owned and utility-scale solar.
Read MoreWhite House moves to regulate methane emissions
After years of scientific research pointing to methane’s outsized contribution to climate change, the Obama administration will use its executive power to regulate emissions of the potent greenhouse gas from oil and gas productions and pipelines.
Read MoreRegulators Restore 1983 Stream Protection Rule
To comply with a federal court ruling, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement restored an earlier version of a rule meant to protect water quality and stream channels from coal mining waste.
Read MoreAlpha Agrees to Water Pollution Settlement
Alpha Natural Resources agreed to a settlement in a 2012 lawsuit, brought by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, regarding high levels of conductivity found in streams at two of its mountaintop removal mining complexes in West Virginia.
Read MoreWest Virginia Legislative Maneuvers Disregard Water Quality
The West Virginia legislature has introduced two new bills that would loosen coal mining rules and impact state water quality.
Read MoreClean Line Wind Project Clears Hurdle
Houston-based Clean Line Energy Partners LLC received initial approval from Tennessee regulators to construct a 700-mile transmission line that would deliver wind power to customers in the Tennessee Valley.
Read MoreWest Virginia Repeals “Alternative” Energy Law
West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed a bill to repeal the state’s Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, a law ostensibly aimed at promoting adoption of renewable sources.
Read MoreInterior Dept. Opens Atlantic Coast to Drilling
The Obama administration announced plans on Jan. 26 to open up waters in the Atlantic to oil and gas exploration and drilling.
Read MoreLawsuit Challenges State Fracking Panel
The Southern Environmental Law Center filed a lawsuit challenging the North Carolina legislature’s role in appointing the majority of members of the body responsible for developing rules to regulate fracking in the state.
Read MoreCorruption and Enforcement Failures Raise Concern for Clean Water
Recently uncovered conspiracies to violate the Clean Water Act have heightened concerns about corruption in central Appalachia and the effectiveness of state agencies responsible for enforcing the law.
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