HYDRO: Lawmakers and experts disagree over whether a hydroelectric pumped storage facility in West Michigan should count towards the state’s carbon-emission reductions. (Midwest Energy News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tech companies are flocking to Detroit and automakers to Silicon Valley as the two sectors develop the next generation of vehicles. (Associated Press)

***SPONSORED LINK: Green Your Ride!  The Illinois Solar Energy Association is raffling a 2015 Tesla Model S! Only 2,000 tickets sold. 1 for $100, 4 for $300 www.illinoissolar.org ***

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A large waste incinerator in a trendy Minneapolis neighborhood is helping vault the city as one of the most sustainable in the world. (Politico)

COAL: Two retired coal miners reflect on life in the mines and the boom and bust cycle of their hometowns in Illinois. (The Southern Illinoisan)

FRACKING: Youngstown, Ohio will move forward with an anti-fracking ballot initiative, where local officials say a recent secretary of state ruling does not apply to them. (Youngstown Vindicator)

SOLAR:
• Indiana regulators approve plans for Duke Energy to buy 20 MW of solar from four sites around the state. (Associated Press)
• 
With major projects planned around the country, the price of new solar energy is now competitive or even cheaper than natural gas. (EnergyWire)

WIND: Iowa regulators approve a settlement agreement for a 552 MW wind project. (The Gazette)

TRANSPORTATION: A former railroad line through northwest Chicago is repurposed as a popular commuter bike and walking trail. (Associated Press)

AUCTION:
• Results from the latest PJM capacity auction are expected to make it harder for FirstEnergy to argue for power purchase agreements to keep a nuclear and coal plant open. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
With costs higher than expected, ComEd residential customers in the Chicago area will see their average electric bills increase by $82 a year by 2018-2019, analysts say. (Chicago Tribune)

AIR POLLUTION: High traffic volume is a contributing factor to Cincinnati being among the worst in the nation for year-round pollution, according to a new study. (Cincinnati Business Courier)

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Legal challenges to the plan are expected to stall infrastructure upgrades nationwide. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
The plan may make Minnesota and North Dakota, which have been at odds over energy policy for years, unlikely allies in compliance. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
A new poll shows 67 percent of Ohioans support regulations requiring coal plants to reduce pollution. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

COMMENTARY:
• Proposed net metering changes in Michigan will effectively kill rooftop solar there. (MLive)
Ohio’s FirstEnergy is stuck in an old utility business model and will be the “poster child” of the 20th century. (Greentech Media)

Andy compiles the Midwest Energy News digest and was a journalism fellow for Midwest Energy News from 2014-2020. He is managing editor of MiBiz in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was formerly a reporter and editor at City Pulse, Lansing’s alternative newsweekly.

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