MINNESOTA: Recently passed energy legislation in Minnesota will significantly change the state’s renewable energy fund and eliminate regulatory oversight of fixed charges for rural co-ops and small municipal utilities. (Midwest Energy News)
GRID: An Illinois utility’s microgrid is unique in that it will be able to “island” residential customers in an outage. (Midwest Energy News)
COAL: Coal mining is “not the big dog anymore” in southern Illinois. (E&E News)
COAL ASH: Advocates continue to raise concern about the threat of coal ash contamination to Illinois’ only designated scenic river. (WAND)
SOLAR:
• A Canadian company revives a northern Minnesota solar plant. (Duluth News Tribune)
• A Wisconsin library unveils its new solar array. (Merrill Foto News)
• Michigan lawmakers tour a solar installation in Cadillac. (UpNorthLive)
WIND:
• A coalition of farm and clean energy groups push a South Dakota county to overturn a restrictive wind farm ordinance. (Sioux Falls Argus Leader)
• The five states that generated the largest share of their energy from wind power all went to President Trump in the 2016 election. (New York Times)
PIPELINES:
• While oil is flowing through the Dakota Access pipeline, opponents remain hopeful that appeals before the Iowa Supreme Court could still shut it down. (Des Moines Register)
• Opposition grows to the Nexus pipeline in Michigan while federal approval is delayed by lack of a quorum at FERC. (Detroit Metro Times)
OIL AND GAS: North Dakota regulators revoke a permit for an oilfield company caught illegally dumping waste, but a timeline for cleanup remains unclear. (Bismarck Tribune)
TRANSMISSION:
• Missouri regulators delay a decision on the Grain Belt Express transmission line, pending the outcome of a court case on a different project. (E&E News, subscription)
• A Missouri city’s wind energy purchase depends on completion of the project. (Columbia Daily Tribune)
ELECTRIC CARS: Recently passed legislation in Minnesota creates a $75 annual fee for electric vehicles. (Minnesota Public Radio)
POLITICS: Climate change is emerging as a key issue in a Nebraska congressional race. (Omaha World-Herald)
WASTE-TO-ENERGY:
• A Michigan utility is growing its investment in landfill gas operations throughout the country. (Michigan Radio)
• A court rejects a Wisconsin tribe’s lawsuit over a rejected permit for a proposed waste-to-energy plant. (WBAY)
UTILITIES: AEP customers in Ohio are expected to see a refund this month from a legal settlement resolved late last year. (Marietta Times)
COMMENTARY:
• An advocate says “it is refreshing to see [Michigan’s] two largest utilities dismantle the false dichotomy that we must choose between the economy and the environment.” (Detroit News)
• “Local leaders are leading” on climate change. (Madison Capital Times)
• A New York Times editorial says “progress is possible” on climate change, despite the Trump administration, as cities and states lead the way.