Midwest Energy News

North Dakota launches program to resolve wind energy disputes

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NUCLEAR: Advocates clear a legal hurdle in their effort to ensure FirstEnergy’s nuclear decommissioning costs aren’t shifted to taxpayers. (Energy News Network)

WIND:
• North Dakota launches a program meant to resolve disputes between landowners and wind developers “in a timely manner.” (Bismarck Tribune)
• A Veterans Affairs hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota, plans to take down a dysfunctional on-site wind turbine next year. (St. Cloud Times)
• Officials break ground on a 103.5 MW wind project in western Iowa.

Midwest Energy News

Court rules in favor of Illinois utility’s smart meter data collection

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SMART METERS: A federal court rules an Illinois municipal utility’s collection of smart meter data is a reasonable search and that the “government’s interest in smart meters is significant.” (Cook County Record)

PIPELINES: The Keystone XL pipeline developer moves to condemn privately held land in South Dakota for the project. (Rapid City Journal)

***SPONSORED LINK: Register today for the Renewable Energy Benefit Breakfast on September 11 in St. Paul, Minnesota. A premier networking event featuring Abby Hopper of SEIA, Tom Kiernan of AWEA, and Kelly Speakes-Backman of the Energy Storage Association.***

OIL AND GAS:
• A pipeline operator says North Dakota’s regulatory process for using bioremediation to clean up oil spills on farmland is too cumbersome. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signs a law requiring owners of natural gas storage fields to notify local officials if a leak threatens drinking water supplies.

Midwest Energy News

State regulators pull funding for planned Minneapolis hydro project

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SOLAR: Plans for Ohio’s largest solar project are entangled in a lawsuit before the state Supreme Court involving subsidies for two 1950s-era coal plants. (Energy News Network)

ALSO:
• Plans move forward for a pair of 2 MW community solar projects west of Chicago, while a nearby county board approves six projects. (DeKalb Daily Chronicle, Daily Southtown)
• A vote is delayed on a solar project in Toledo, Ohio, that critics say is driven by a labor dispute over who would get to build it. (Toledo Blade)

***SPONSORED LINK: Register today for the Renewable Energy Benefit Breakfast on September 11 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Midwest Energy News

Missouri court opens new path for funding EV infrastructure

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Missouri appeals court overturns regulators and says utilities should be allowed to include electric vehicle charging stations in their rate bases. (Utility Dive)

ALSO: Ford plans to spend $740 million to redevelop property in Detroit that will be used in part for electric vehicle development. (WXYZ)

***SPONSORED LINK: Registration is open for the 2018 Veteran’s Energy Seminar, presented by Invenergy on August 30, 2018 in Chicago IL, for a day of energy security training for military veterans and energy professionals. Apply promo code “MWEN” for a discounted ticket. Learn more and register to attend.***

PIPELINES: A federal judge orders an environmental review of the revised Keystone XL pipeline route, potentially delaying the project.