Saturday, June 9, 2012

Duke merger wins fed approval | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper

By Bruce Henderson and Ely Portillo
Duke Energy and Progress Energy won conditional federal approval Friday night for a $26 billion merger that would create the country’s largest utility, with 7.1 million customers in six states, based in Charlotte.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/06/08/3303124/utilities-merger-wins-fed-approval.html#storylink=cpy

New South Carolina law goes into effect on digging | SCNOW

The 2012 South Carolina Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act requires that diggers give three full working days notice (not including the day of the call and excluding weekends and holidays) for the locators to get out to mark the area. Failure to notify SC811 prior to beginning an excavation project can result in fines of up to $1,000.
“By calling 811, you can register your project so that SCE&G and other utilities can send a representative out to mark the location of utility lines so that you or your contractor can stay safe and easily avoid them while working on your outdoor project, said Gus Chapman, SCE&G operations manager.   “Line marking is free of charge and is good for 15 working days after it has been processed by SC811,” he said.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Wind turbine test facility most advanced globally, says project manager

In November 2009, Clemson University was awarded a $45 million grant by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop the testing facility. That was matched by $53 million in public and private funds.
The $98 million facility will be capable of testing next-generation drivetrains up to 15 megawatts. The facility’s 7.5-megawatt test rig is scheduled to begin commissioning this fall, with the 15-megawatt rig to follow early in 2013.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Coal pollution suit filed against Santee Cooper - Local / Metro - TheState.com

Sammy Fretwell
Specifically, the law center says it wants a court to order Santee Cooper to remove coal ash from the lagoons and put it in a lined landfill, rather than leave it there as the company plans. Coal ash contains arsenic that can wash into groundwater and waterways. Santee Cooper’s coal ash lagoons sit on the banks of the Waccamaw River in a low-lying area susceptible to leakage, the center says. The lagoon walls also might break, the center says.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/06/07/2305964/coal-pollution-suit-filed-as-deadline.html#storylink=cpy

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Bear Spotted In Tree at Blue Ridge Electric Office - Easley, SC Patch

By Carolyn Farr Smith and Jason Evans
"She told me that she saw a bear on Neely Street and then pointed and said it was in the tree in front of our office," Roper said.

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