RENEWABLES: A new report finds that states have been successful at meeting renewable portfolio targets at relatively little cost, while 60 percent of all growth in renewables since 2000 is associated with the policies. (EnergyWire)
OIL BY RAIL: Local emergency responders across Minnesota tell state lawmakers they want more information from railroad companies about preparing for train derailments. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
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TRANSMISSION: Supporters of clean-energy transmission say two planned projects in Missouri are getting different treatment from state regulators. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
OHIO:
• The head of Dynegy says AEP is “taking its ball and going home” by not selling its plants to the alternative supplier after it opposed AEP’s income-guarantee requests. (Columbus Business First)
• AEP customers begin seeing new breakouts on utility bills for costs related to the state’s renewable and energy efficiency standards, as required by a 2014 law; other utility costs remain hidden. (Columbus Dispatch, Midwest Energy News archive)
OIL SPILLS:
• TransCanada reports nearly 17,000 gallons of oil has leaked from the Keystone pipeline in South Dakota, which will remain closed until early next week. (Associated Press)
• The “oversupplied oil market essentially shrugged” at TransCanada’s closing its Keystone pipeline nearly a week ago. (Grist)
• Five years after an oil spill near his property, a North Dakota man still has questions about how TransCanada is working to stop them. (Forum News Service)
WIND:
• A rejected wind project in South Dakota may resurface in a neighboring county. (Associated Press)
• A new state law in Michigan requires wind energy developers to add visible markings to test towers when siting new projects. (MLive)
• Nebraska lawmakers advance a bill that would make it easier to sell wind energy out-of-state. (Omaha World-Herald)
COAL: A 328-megawatt coal plant in southeast Michigan is in its last week of operation. (Toledo Blade)
PIPELINES:
• Northwestern North Dakota residents get their first glimpse at a pipeline project that will move oil from the state to Canada. (Forum News Service)
• Marathon plans to build a pipeline to move light oil mixtures through Ohio to one of its refineries, replacing most of the fleet of tank trucks that have been doing it. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
NUCLEAR: The declining cost of renewable energy is making it difficult for nuclear plants to compete. (National Public Radio)
OIL AND GAS:
• Local officials in a mid-Michigan city approve plans to explore whether the city has underground oil deposits. (MLive)
• U.S. refiners who are delaying to meet new sulfur-reduction rules for gasoline may face soaring costs next year. (Reuters)
SOLAR: Yet another report shows community solar is poised for growth as it is embraced by utilities. (Utility Dive)
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VOLKSWAGEN SCANDAL: A Chicago-area Volkswagen dealer is suing the automaker over its handling of last year’s emissions scandal. (Chicago Tribune)
COMMENTARY: It’s good that officials in an eastern Kansas county are revisiting ways to regulate local wind projects. (Lawrence Journal-World)