POLICY: After six months of revisions, clean-energy and consumer advocates are still critical of energy legislation in Michigan that they say would be costly for ratepayers. (Midwest Energy News)
UTILITIES:
• Milwaukee-based WEC Energy Group will see $1 billion in tax relief from 2015 based on a new federal law; the company says the windfall will be spent on capital projects. (Milwaukee Business Journal)
• A mild winter cut into a Wisconsin utility’s first-quarter revenues. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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WIND:
• A new federal proposal would allow wind developers to receive 30-year permits for wind turbines and allow for the killing or disturbing of more bald eagles as a way to get firms to commit to more conservation measures. (Greenwire)
• A Wisconsin-based manufacturer that specializes in repairing wind turbine gearboxes plans to expand again within two years due to the sector’s growth. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• The first quarter of 2016 for wind installations was the strongest since 2012. (Smart Grid News)
EFFICIENCY: Ameren Missouri is reinstating a roughly $2-a-month charge on electric bills to go toward an energy efficiency rebate program. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
PETCOKE: Southeast side Chicago residents say recent settlements over petcoke pollution are not enough and want to see the companies stockpiling it leave town. (CBS Chicago)
FRACKING: Environmental groups sue the U.S. EPA over the agency’s alleged failure to stop the disposal of drilling waste that can threaten groundwater supplies and trigger man-made earthquakes. (Associated Press)
BIOFUELS:
• Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad says companies are already interested in a new state tax credit for making products from biofuel leftovers. (Radio Iowa)
• One of the first ethanol plants in the country closes in South Dakota because it was outdated. (Associated Press)
PIPELINES:
• A Midwest infrastructure advocate says it’s time for opposition groups to stop stalling the Dakota Access pipeline so it can be built in one season. (Radio Iowa)
• But for Native American tribes affected by the project, the fight over it is “far from over.” (ClimateProgress)
ILLINOIS: A radio broadcaster and state political candidate pays nearly $4,000 for overdue electric bills at three Illinois state parks so they can re-open. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
NUCLEAR: A nuclear plant in southeast Michigan is shut down for repairs. (Monroe News)
SOLAR:
• Officials in a Minnesota county approve a solar project on a wetlands site, though the project will still have to pass state and federal wetland regulations. (Red Wing Republican Eagle)
• The Department of Energy launches a new $25 million fund to help integrate solar energy into the grid. (Utility Dive)
• As net metering is phased out in some states, home energy storage is becoming more attractive. (Bloomberg)
OIL AND GAS:
• Tens of thousands of residents are evacuated as a wildfire in the heart of Alberta’s oil sands spreads to nearby towns. (Associated Press)
• March oil production numbers in North Dakota are “going to be bad,” according to an industry official. (Forum News Service)
• Local officials want more information before deciding on a proposed oil refinery near a national park in North Dakota. (Associated Press)
COAL: Studies show that people living in coal-mining communities do not generally live longer, happier lives, despite claims made on Fox News. (Grist)
CLIMATE: A new report says phasing out fossil fuel leases on public lands would be a significant way to reduce carbon emissions and meet international climate goals. (InsideClimate News)
COMMENTARY:
• FirstEnergy “plugs away in zombie-like fashion at its undying effort” to have customers pay for its struggling plants in Ohio. (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)
• DTE Energy says Michigan’s current energy law threatens the reliability of the state’s energy resources as coal plants close. (Detroit News)