BIOENERGY: A new approach to bioenergy that combines initiatives to improve water quality and produce fuel from organic waste could enhance the processes and generate more revenue for farmers. (Midwest Energy News)
EFFICIENCY: Advocates are concerned about the future of federally funded energy efficiency programs that have helped low-income residents in Ohio. (Midwest Energy News)
***SPONSORED LINK: Exhibit or sponsor to connect to thousands of attendees regarding renewable energy and sustainability at The Energy Fair, June 16-18 in Custer, WI and coming soon to Saint Paul, MN September, 2017. Exhibitor registration opens November 30.***
ILLINOIS:
• A sweeping energy reform bill in Illinois, once meant to address struggling nuclear plants, now has “something for everyone to hate.” (Utility Dive)
• Ameren Illinois, which has customers in central and southern Illinois, opposes the Exelon-backed bill in its current form. (Southern Illinoisan)
PIPELINES:
• Tensions rise again as Dakota Access pipeline protesters try to push past a blocked off bridge and police respond with water cannons and what appeared to be tear gas. (Associated Press)
• The public defender system in North Dakota is challenged in the wake of nearly 150 pipeline protesters being arrested and charged in October. (Rapid City Journal)
• The Dakota Access pipeline developer will not consider re-routing a contentious section of the project. (Reuters)
• Great Lakes tribes are rallying around the Dakota Access pipeline protests to fight against twin pipelines operating in the Straits of Mackinac. (Environmental Health News)
NUCLEAR: The U.S. EPA’s decision two years ago to leave the issue of struggling nuclear plants to politically divided states “heightens concerns about U.S. emissions.” (EnergyWire)
WIND:
• Alliant Energy is “working closely with landowners” as it plans a major wind farm expansion in Iowa. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
• County officials near mid-Michigan are considering a moratorium on wind development as a new project surfaces. (Associated Press)
UTILITIES: Fixed monthly charges from a Wisconsin utility are scheduled to nearly double on Jan. 1. (LaCrosse Tribune)
CLIMATE:
• Senior advisor Steve Bannon’s radical view on climate change is likely to impact President-elect Donald Trump’s position on the topic. (ClimateWire)
• Corporations aren’t pausing their efforts to reduce carbon emissions following Donald Trump’s election. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A Michigan biodigester facility is hit with citations and fines for not addressing foul odors being emitted from the property. (MLive)
COMMENTARY:
• Amid its transition away from coal, Michigan’s largest municipal utility should turn to renewables sooner. (Lansing State Journal)
• A Minnesota lawmaker says a recent editorial casting blame for a Minnesota utility’s proposed rate increase largely on renewable energy “missed the mark entirely.” (Duluth News Tribune)