PETCOKE: BP says it will stop shipments of petroleum coke from its Whiting refinery into Chicago, but won’t specify where the material will go instead. (Chicago Tribune)
COAL: A Wisconsin utility reaches an agreement that will end subsidy payments for a coal plant in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. (Midwest Energy News)
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SOLAR: In a debate that echoed a similar fight in Wisconsin, an Indiana House committee advanced a utility-backed bill that would increase fixed rates and impose other restrictions on solar power. Only one person, the head of a utility organization, testified in full support of the legislation. (Midwest Energy News, Indianapolis Star)
ALSO: Officials in Lincoln, Nebraska approve a zoning change to allow a new solar farm at the city’s airport. (Lincoln Journal Star)
OIL: Advocates say North Dakota isn’t doing enough to prevent oil train disasters, and federal regulators allow damaged rail cars to be transported to repair facilities while still carrying hazardous materials. (Bismarck Tribune, EnergyWire)
UTILITIES: Dynegy fights an effort by American Electric Power to guarantee income for its power plants, and the CEO of FirstEnergy says energy markets are to blame for its underperforming power plants. (Columbus Business First, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
MICHIGAN: Michigan’s largest utility says it has plenty of capacity despite a projected shortfall. (PennEnergy)
FRAC SAND: Commissioners in a Minnesota county vote to prohibit industrial frac sand mining. (Houston County News)
EFFICIENCY: A study finds broad support for state-funded energy efficiency programs in North Dakota, EnergyStar-rated clothes dryers hit the market, and Wisconsin’s efficiency program targets breweries. (KXNews, Associated Press, WMTV)
NUCLEAR: A Michigan regulator says the EPA “clearly missed the mark” in how it handles nuclear energy in proposed carbon regulations. (Greenwire)
CLIMATE: Some state utility regulators are still “not sure” about climate change. (ClimateWire)
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WIND: A Minnesota man could go to jail in dispute over a wind turbine in his yard. (KSTP)
COMMENTARY: The utility industry is “angling hard to rig the game to its enormous advantage,” and are conservatives turning a corner on climate change? (IEEFA, Midwest Energy News)