SOLAR:
• Grid operators around the country are exploring a wide range of potential fixes to what’s known as the “duck curve” problem in which solar production and demand peaks don’t align. (Midwest Energy News)
• A controversial sand and gravel mining site in Minnesota will be repurposed as a community solar project. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: Most of the 27 states challenging the Clean Power Plan are already on track to meet emission-reduction targets. (Reuters)
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PIPELINES:
• A federal appeals court orders a halt to construction on another section of the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota. (Associated Press)
• A tribal leader in Wisconsin says the Dakota Access pipeline should be a concern for all, not just Native Americans. (LaCrosse Tribune)
• A federal judge drops a temporary restraining order against tribal leaders who were sued by the Dakota Access developer. (Associated Press)
• The Dakota Access protest site has created a new school for children and an increasingly organized system to deliver supplies there. (Associated Press)
• Enbridge performs maintenance on an oil pipeline in northern Minnesota after corrosion was discovered on the line’s exterior. (Forum News Service)
WIND: The developer of a planned northern Illinois wind project is shelving the plan indefinitely after a more-restrictive county zoning ordinance was passed last year. (Rockford Register Star)
POLICY: The Michigan Senate could act this week on comprehensive energy reforms. (Detroit Free Press)
RENEWABLES:
• Small, rural utilities in Iowa are turning to wind and solar to meet a growing percentage of their electric demand. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
• A west Michigan county will lease roughly 2,000 acres at a wastewater treatment facility for wind and solar development. (MLive)
COAL:
• A North Dakota coal mine is the first in the country to use a drone to conduct land surveys. (Bismarck Tribune)
• The CEO of DTE Energy says he is concerned about the impact on electricity reserves from closing old coal plants . (Crain’s Detroit Business)
• Coal backers in Illinois believe the next president could greatly impact the future of the state’s industry. (Chicago Tribune)
GRID: Energy experts in Missouri discuss ways to modernize grid infrastructure in a timely and cost-effective way. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
OIL AND GAS:
• North Dakota’s oil production outlook for the rest of the year looks poor, officials say. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• An Ohio appeals court says the developer of a natural gas pipeline in Ohio and Michigan can enter private property and conduct land surveys. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
TRANSPORTATION: Due to technological limitations, widespread use of electric planes will take longer to develop than electric cars. (Associated Press)
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BIOFUELS: While the Renewable Fuel Standard has exerted significant economic influence in the U.S., there is “hardly consensus” about whether it has delivered on initial promises of emissions reductions and less dependence on foreign oil. (New York Times)
COMMENTARY:
• A rate increase for FirstEnergy is vital for the economic health of northeastern Ohio. (Cleveland Scene)
• Federal agencies and courts should decide quickly on a framework for an agreement over the Dakota Access pipeline. (Bismarck Tribune)
• The declining cost of wind power is “significantly affecting the mix of fuels used for generation at regional and state levels.” (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)