COAL: Advocates say cleanup of coal ash in northwest Indiana could generate millions of dollars in economic benefits, but it won’t happen unless the state or federal government requires it. (Energy News Network)

PIPELINES:
• A Government Accountability Office report affirms the operator of the Keystone pipeline has a spill record “worse than the national average,” bolstering the case that advocates had made against the Keystone XL expansion project. (Politico)
• As the Line 3 pipeline nears completion, ongoing opposition poses a political challenge for the Biden administration. (E&E News)

NATURAL GAS:
• A Minnesota court upholds state regulators’ approval of a $700 million natural gas plant proposed in Superior, Wisconsin, saying the interstate venture “serves the public interest better than a renewable-resource alternative.” (Star Tribune)
• A proposed peaker plant near Evansville, Indiana is drawing opposition from opponents who say the area is already overburdened by pollution. (E&E News)

OIL & GAS:
• An equipment failure led to the spill of 1,400 barrels of drilling brine in North Dakota last week, most of which was recovered. (Grand Forks Herald)
• A company seeking to revive 19 natural gas wells in South Dakota agrees to post a higher reclamation bond than required by law. (South Dakota Public Broadcasting) 

UTILITIES:
• A former Columbus, Ohio official says American Electric Power pressured the city to drop plans for a municipal aggregation program that was expected to reduce ratepayers’ bills. (Columbus Dispatch, subscription)
• Widespread power outages in Michigan last week have revived talks of establishing a community-owned utility in Ann Arbor. (MLive, subscription)

WIND: North Dakota wildlife officials are concerned a proposed wind farm will encroach on sage grouse habitat; a hearing is scheduled for today. (Bismarck Tribune)

SOLAR:
• A Nebraska farmer is leasing land for a 1 MW solar array that he says will help financially support his special-needs daughter: “This project probably wouldn’t exist if God hadn’t put Alika here.” (Hastings Tribune)
• A Cleveland suburb establishes new regulations on solar installations to “meet the city’s aesthetic standards.” (Cleveland.com)

COMMENTARY:
• An editorial board says the rapid decline of solar installations in Illinois “should astound anyone who looks at the increasingly dangerous effects of climate change around the country.” (Chicago Sun-Times)
• A journalist says a partnership in Kansas shows promise in finding ways to reuse decommissioned wind turbine blades. (Kansas Reflector)

CORRECTION: A North Dakota project referenced in yesterday’s digest is producing feedstock for renewable diesel, not biodiesel. 

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.