The fate of a pair of 1950s-era coal plants and the largest solar project ever proposed in Ohio are entangled in a single case before the state’s Supreme Court.
transmission
Despite court ruling, Missouri counties vow to keep fighting transmission line
Officials in two Missouri counties said they plan to deny permits to the Grain Belt Express transmission project despite a state Supreme Court ruling last month that limited their authority to do so.
methane
Panel: Methane leak capture could add millions to Ohio’s economy
Ohio oil and gas drillers could use existing technology to find and fix most methane leaks at little or no cost to their bottom lines, according to experts on a recent panel at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
Virginia
Virginia energy transition hinges on traditionally conservative state board
Virginia’s energy future is largely in the hands of a 116-year-old board originally formed to regulate railroads. Can it overcome a steep institutional learning curve on advanced energy? Virginia lawmakers are expected to fill an open seat this month on a state board that could determine whether the state becomes a regional leader on renewable energy, energy efficiency and grid modernization. “The State Corporation Commission is where the rubber meets the road,” says Cale Jaffe, director of the Environmental and Regulatory Law Clinic at the University of Virginia. Government agencies and the Legislature can lay out rules for pollution control and energy generation, but it’s the commission that has the power to say ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ to related proposals by utilities.
swine biogas
North Carolina pork industry appeals order suspending new biogas projects
The North Carolina Pork Council filed a motion Thursday asking state regulators to reconsider a freeze on new swine gas projects.
clean energy jobs
Illinois energy law helped drive Midwest renewable job growth in 2017
The Midwest bucked a national trend last year, adding 3,900 renewable energy jobs thanks in part to the impact of Illinois’ Future Energy Jobs Act.