POLICY:
• National researchers find that while renewable energy goals add costs, they “more than make up for it in avoiding pollution and saving water.” (EnergyWire)
• North Dakota Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer is still in position to shape energy policy under the Trump administration. (Greenwire)

NUCLEAR: The prospect of long-term waste storage at a closed nuclear plant site dims economic hopes for an Illinois town. (Chicago Sun-Times)

***SPONSORED LINK: Connect with more than 650 of the region’s best and brightest at MEEA’s 2017 Midwest Energy Solutions Conference, February 22-24 in Chicago, featuring unparalleled networking, insightful panels and more. Register today!***

COAL: Southern Illinois residents are hopeful about an industry turnaround under President-elect Trump. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

PIPELINES:
• The Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council is expressing concerns about sanitation and potential flooding at the Dakota Access protest site. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Two more Dakota Access protesters are arrested for trespassing, bringing the total number of of protest-related arrests to 584 since Aug. 10. (Bismarck Tribune)

SOLAR: An Iowa county is recognized for its efforts to promote solar development on county-owned properties. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

WIND:
• A new 400-megawatt wind project in Kansas is completed. (Kansas City Business Journal)
• Opponents will continue to fight wind projects in Ohio after Gov. John Kasich allows renewable energy standards to move forward. (Dayton Daily News)

EPA: Campaign finance rules would allow Scott Pruitt’s PAC to continue raising money from industries he would oversee as EPA administrator. (EnergyWire)

EFFICIENCY: A Kansas school district sets aside millions of dollars for energy efficiency improvements as an effort to “save the district money in the long run.” (Lawrence Journal-World)

GRID: The U.S. Energy Department warns that the grid is in “imminent danger” of cyberattacks. (CNET)

POLITICS: U.S. Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan is out as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. (MLive)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY:
• An Iowa city considers a $9.3 million project to convert methane gas from a wastewater treatment facility into energy. (Sioux City Journal)
• Wisconsin officials consider spending $20 million in subsidies to harness manure waste as a source of energy. (Wisconsin Rapids Tribune)
• Two employees at a waste-to-energy facility in Nebraska are hospitalized after being exposed to unidentified chemicals. (Sioux City Journal)

***SPONSORED LINK: Register for CEE’s January 12 forum in St. Paul to hear from Great River Energy, MVEC, MN Rural Electric Association and others about how co-ops are responding to industry shifts in clean energy policies and pricing, customer expectations and infrastructure. ***

OIL AND GAS: A former oil executive in North Dakota is accused of falsely inflating company revenues by tens of millions of dollars. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY:
• A solar executive from Wisconsin sees a bright future for the industry. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Ohio can now have hope for new and existing clean energy businesses after Gov. John Kasich vetoes a plan to halt clean energy standards. (Crain’s Cleveland Business)
• A new bill “rammed through the legislature” makes it more difficult to pass local fracking bans in Ohio. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)