CLIMATE:
• The historic deal reached in Paris could mark the shift of when global greenhouse gas emissions started to level off and decline. (New York Times)
• U.S. Sen. Al Franken from Minnesota believes a new federal budget bill will include funding to meet climate goals. (CBS Minnesota)
• Meanwhile, the U.S. House passed a bill Friday that would block trade deals from being used to cut greenhouse gas emissions. (Associated Press)
COAL: Between the Paris deal and the Clean Power Plan, major changes are in store for coal-dependent states like Ohio. (Dayton Daily News)
***SPONSORED LINK: Rocky Mountain Institute’s e-Lab Accelerator is calling on America’s most innovative teams at the forefront of the electricity transformation looking to take projects to the next level. See if your project is eligible for this invitation-only event April 24—27. ***
MICHIGAN:
• Critics say an Upper Peninsula utility is moving too quickly on a new natural-gas plant to displace some coal generation and is not analyzing all cost options. (Midwest Energy News)
• Northern Michigan developers and utilities continue to move the state forward with renewables and efficiency despite policy uncertainty at the state level. (Traverse City Record-Eagle)
OHIO: In addition to income guarantees, FirstEnergy’s “bailout” plan would significantly increase fixed charges and potentially discourage energy efficiency and distributed generation. (Midwest Energy News)
SOLAR:
• A proposed community solar project near Kansas City would help a Missouri town’s utility get 13 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. (Kansas City Star)
• Officials in a Nebraska town approve a pilot community solar project. (Associated Press)
TRANSMISSION: While three of four states have given approval for their share of a $2.2 billion transmission project to move wind energy from Kansas, farmers in Missouri are still fighting the project. (Associated Press)
OIL AND GAS:
• A company looking to build a $2 billion gas pipeline across parts of Michigan and northern Ohio starts the federal application process. (Associated Press)
• An industry official is skeptical that the region including Ohio will eventually get three ethane cracker plants. (Columbus Business First)
• North Dakota officials are still waiting on tribal leaders to sign a new revenue-sharing agreement over oil taxes. (Bismarck Tribune)
DIVESTMENT: Students at the University of Minnesota protest during a Board of Regents meeting to encourage the school to divest from fossil fuels. (Minnesota Daily)
PIPELINES:
• Tribal groups and environmental advocates say the pipeline permitting process for Enbridge’s international projects through Minnesota is “not working.” (The Uptake)
• A pipeline expansion through Illinois is expected to be moving oil before the end of the month. (Bloomington Pantagraph)
***SPONSORED LINK: The Grid Modernization Forum, January 19-20 in Chicago, is a focused industry conference examining the integration of renewables, energy storage, microgrids, engaging the customer, and key regulatory issues. Enter “ME-News” when registering for 10% off. ***
MERGER: Following a major acquisition this year of Chicago-based Integrys, WEC Energy Group is named Corporation of the Year in Wisconsin. (Milwaukee Business Times)
COMMENTARY:
• FirstEnergy’s “bailout” request in Ohio is a “not so sweet” deal for ratepayers and lower-cost competitors and “would delay further efforts to transition to clean energy.” (Crain’s Cleveland Business)
• Another writer describes the FirstEnergy plan as “the mother of all boondoggles.” (Forbes)
• AEP’s shift to leave ALEC is “great news for Ohioans and great news for climate action.” (NRDC Switchboard)
• The Clean Power Plan creates economic opportunity for Illinois. (State Journal-Register)
• A Wisconsin lawmaker explains why he is pushing a bill to lift the state’s moratorium on new nuclear plants. (Waupaca County News)