OIL TRAINS: Trains hauling crude oil are hidden in plain sight in Chicago neighborhoods as nearby residents are often unaware of the threat they could pose. (Midwest Energy News)
ALSO: Milwaukee residents raise concerns about oil trains with city officials. (WISN)
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CLIMATE: Employees of a Wisconsin land trust agency are forbidden from “engaging in global warming or climate change work.” (Bloomberg)
EPA:
• Wisconsin joins a federal lawsuit challenging EPA carbon rules, and Kansas signs on to a letter urging the agency to withdraw the proposal. (Associated Press, Topeka Capital Journal)
• The Clean Power Plan could lead to multi-state approaches to cutting emissions. (Climate Central)
OHIO: How a shift at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio could impact FirstEnergy’s impending “bailout” case. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
MICHIGAN:
• Utilities warn of a crisis from capacity shortfalls in Michigan, some state lawmakers are skeptical (more background here). (MLive, Midwest Energy News archive)
• The state’s energy policy is the topic of a town hall meeting in Kalamazoo. (WMUK)
COAL:
• Michael Bloomberg donates $30 million to anti-coal efforts. (InsideClimate News)
• Michigan State University announces it will stop burning coal at its power plant by the end of the next year. (Lansing State Journal)
• A Minnesota power plant accepts its last coal shipment. (Minnesota Public Radio)
OIL AND GAS:
• At least six new natural gas power plants are being built or are in the works in Ohio. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• New research correlates drilling activity with elevated levels of radon. (Columbus Dispatch)
• Federal regulators say a North Dakota oil worker’s death was preventable. (Associated Press)
WIND: A Minnesota wind developer asks legislators to extend the deadline for leases to expire on a project. (Minnesota Watchdog)
BIOFUELS:
• Ohio’s transportation budget removes a biofuel requirement for state vehicles. (WYSO)
• An Iowa State researcher warns of impacts from removing too much corn stover for cellulosic biofuel production. (Biofuels Digest)
COMMENTARY: Why a Minnesota energy bill is a giveaway for utilities. (Minnpost)