OHIO: Murray Energy is accused in a bankruptcy court filing of not being forthcoming with creditors about its role in a $61 million bribery and racketeering scheme to bail out uneconomic power plants. (Columbus Dispatch)
ALSO:
• Four defendants in the Ohio power plant scandal plead not guilty to federal racketeering charges while former House Speaker Larry Householder is granted a delay to find a new lawyer. (WKSU)
• American Electric Power’s CEO says the company’s contributions to a group linked to the power plant scandal was “lawful and ethical” and that the company is not part of the federal government’s case. (RTO Insider, subscription)
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BUILDINGS: A net-zero affordable housing project that will include a large photovoltaic array is set to start construction next month in Gary, Indiana. (Energy News Network)
SOLAR:
• More Missouri farmers are turning to solar power to help reduce operating costs. (St. Louis Public Radio)
• Indiana Michigan Power begins construction on a 20 MW solar project in northwestern Indiana. (WNDU)
• Construction begins on a 12.1 MW solar project at a University of Illinois campus. (Solar Power World)
POLICY: A new version of the Clean Energy Jobs Act in Illinois includes updates to protect consumers in light of the pandemic and ComEd’s role in a bribery scheme. (Utility Dive)
RENEWABLES: An urban farm and renewable energy project planned on Chicago’s South Side moves forward with the help of a $2 million grant from the state. (Chicago Sun-Time)
WIND:
• DTE Energy suspends plans for a wind project in Michigan’s southern Lower Peninsula, citing economic conditions. (Coldwater Daily Reporter)
• Facebook completes a power purchase agreement for 170 MW from an Illinois wind project. (North American Windpower)
UTILITIES:
• State regulators fine Indiana utility NIPSCO $1.1 million for pipeline safety violations in 2018. (Times of Northwest Indiana)
• Southwestern Indiana utility Vectren will be renamed CenterPoint Energy as its parent company merges operations. (Evansville Courier & Press)
PIPELINES: Two Keystone XL pipeline workers in Montana test positive for COVID-19, though project construction will continue. (Yellowstone Public Radio)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Michigan issues $1.7 million in grants to public and private entities to help cover the costs of 36 fast-charging electric vehicle stations. (MiBiz)
CLIMATE:
• A southeastern Michigan county moves up its carbon-neutral target by five years to 2030 and approves a $2.5 million project to cut energy usage. (MLive)
• Minneapolis is among cities to adopt “upzoning” codes to promote housing density aimed at curbing transportation emissions. (NPR)
COAL: Peabody Energy lowers the value of a Wyoming coal mine by $1.42 billion based on low expectations for future coal demand. (S&P Global)
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BIOFUELS: Biofuel industry advocates seek relief in future federal stimulus funds while also keeping pressure on the Trump administration to maintain ethanol blending requirements. (E&E News, subscription)
COMMENTARY: North Dakota oil field workers are repurposing their skills as wind turbine technicians, author Bill McKibben writes. (New Yorker)