CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• A group of more than 125 physicians in Minnesota encourage state legislators to continue working on a Clean Power Plan compliance strategy. (Midwest Energy News)
• Even though the rules have been halted by the Supreme Court, wind and solar advocates continue to press their message that reluctant states will miss out on clean energy jobs. (Greenwire)
• A Minnesota agency submits for review a preliminary outline of the state’s compliance strategy. (SNL)
OHIO: State utility regulators are nearing a decision on whether to approve two controversial income-guarantee requests by AEP and FirstEnergy. (Associated Press)
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NUCLEAR:
• Xcel Energy is projected to spend $487 million by 2020 to maintain its reactors at Prairie Island nuclear power plant in Minnesota. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• The country’s graying nuclear fleet leaves questions about new generation needed to replace it. (New York Times)
WIND:
• A California-based company has plans for a 100-turbine project in western Iowa. (Radio Iowa)
• To the dismay of local birders, the Ohio National Guard is reviving plans for a $1.5 million wind turbine project near Lake Erie. (Toledo Blade)
MICROGRID: Commonwealth Edison unveils plans for a microgrid project in a Chicago neighborhood. (Greentech Media)
EPA: A 20-state coalition continues its fight to block the EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards as the agency begins to issue a final rule next month. (Greenwire)
COAL: Major U.S. banks are permanently shifting away from financing coal companies. (New York Times)
PIPELINES: Iowa regulators reject a Texas-based company’s request to fast-track permitting of the Dakota Access pipeline project through the state. (Des Moines Register)
BIOFUELS:
• Researchers at Michigan State University have made a “technology breakthrough” with a process that captures carbon dioxide for high-density algae cultivation. (Biofuels Digest)
• More than 40 gas stations in Chicago will begin selling a higher blend of ethanol as a way to boost demand. (Bloomberg)
OIL AND GAS:
• This year is expected to be the first in the U.S. when more electricity is generated from natural gas than from coal. (Climate Central)
• An industry official says lack of access to natural gas is putting some North Dakota communities at a disadvantage. (Associated Press)
• Four North Dakota communities are expected to maintain sustainable growth even as the oil and gas industry declines. (Bismarck Tribune)
• A 27-year-old South Carolina native moves to North Dakota to advocate on behalf of landowners in oil and gas development cases. (Bismarck Tribune)
• While the number of oil rigs in North Dakota has plummeted, legal action is still booming in the region. (Associated Press)
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UTILITIES:
• A large steelmaking company in Wisconsin worries about WE Energies’ increasing rates for industrial users. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• South Dakota-based Black Hills Corp. has spent the past decade on an acquisition spree, now serving more than 1.2 million customers across eight states. (Rapid City Journal)
COMMENTARY:
• Advocates say FirstEnergy’s new ad campaign in Ohio about the utility’s clean energy track record is little more than a “bait and switch.” (Toledo Blade)
• A recent pro-fracking essay ignores the industry’s safety record. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)