WIND:
• Ohio state Sen. Bill Seitz continues to push for tougher restrictions on wind energy, which advocates say will further block development there. (Midwest Energy News)
• Landowners in South Dakota are in disagreement over the potential benefits of a proposed wind project, which would be the largest in the state. (Tri-State Neighbor)
BIOMASS: For economically struggling areas of northern Minnesota, wood-pellet plants offer an “intriguing possibility,” though significant challenges remain. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
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NUCLEAR:
• The U.S. nuclear industry is “trying harder than ever to market itself as an irreplaceable ally in the war against climate change.” (Toledo Blade)
• An Illinois nuclear plant will hold a one-day exercise to test the emergency preparedness of the plant. (Quad-City Times)
RENEWABLES: A member of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team says the new administration will not move to revoke wind and solar subsidies. (Utility Dive)
PIPELINES:
• Roughly three dozen Dakota Access pipeline protesters are arrested in the latest confrontation with law enforcement. (Associated Press)
• Authorities are investigating reports of multiple gun shots being fired at a Dakota Access pipeline protest in North Dakota. (Associated Press)
• Protesters briefly block entrances to a Dakota Access pipeline work yard, causing workers to leave the area. In Iowa, three others crawl deep into the pipeline and face trespassing charges. (Reuters, Radio Iowa)
• Protesters gather in Minneapolis over the weekend to oppose the project. (WCCO-TV)
• The Dakota Access developer offers to help pay law enforcement costs related to the protests. (Associated Press)
COAL: A U.S. Department of Energy official says North Dakota is “definitely one of the best places” in the country to test “clean coal” technology. (Bismarck Tribune)
STORAGE: Utility and grid-operator officials debate whether battery storage projects can be valuable transmission assets or should be limited to “niche applications,” and how projects should be compensated. (RTO Insider)
REGULATION: Legal experts say overturning Obama administration environmental regulations will be more difficult than is being portrayed. (Greenwire)
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CLIMATE: Scientists report that global carbon emissions remained flat for the third straight year, largely due to less coal being burned. (Washington Post)
COMMENTARY:
• “Michigan ratepayers, including families and small businesses, continue to be saddled with ever-increasing electricity bills.” (Bridge Magazine)
• If Donald Trump’s election means a turning point for the completion of the Dakota Access pipeline, it would be good news for North Dakota. (Bismarck Tribune)
• It’s past time that organizers behind an effort to ban fracking in Youngstown, Ohio respect the will of voters. (Youngstown Vindicator)
• A shift toward more renewable energy in northern Minnesota comes with a price. (Duluth News Tribune)