PIPELINES: Clean energy advocates dispute the state of Michigan’s official position that there is “inadequate information” to justify pursuing a court order to shut down a pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. (Midwest Energy News)
ALSO:
• Developers of the Dakota Access pipeline agree to halt construction near a tribal reservation in North Dakota until a federal court hearing next week. (Associated Press)
• Native American protesters say they will attempt to block construction of Dakota Access “for as long as it takes.” (The Guardian)
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POLITICS: New tax filings show a utility-backed advocacy group in Michigan spent $7.4 million last year — mostly on TV ads — to influence energy policy in the state. (Michigan Campaign Finance Network)
SOLAR:
• Kansas regulators launch an investigation into the costs and benefits of distributed generation after the state’s largest utility sought to limit the scope to just the costs. (Utility Dive)
• Experts expected the number of requests to increase fixed charges on distributed generation customers to decline this year, but they have remained relatively stable. (Utility Dive)
• A 2.6-megawatt solar project began operating in Indiana this week. (South Bend Tribune)
OIL AND GAS: Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder says plans for two new natural-gas powered generating stations in the Upper Peninsula to replace an aging coal plant will be “really environmentally sensitive.” (Fox UP)
WIND: Kansas-based developers plan a 200-turbine wind project in Iowa. (Radio Iowa)
FRACKING: A group of law professors and lawyers for the federal government say a judge was wrong to block new rules for hydraulic fracturing on public land. (Associated Press)
COAL: North Dakota coal plants, which run largely on lignite, have held steady compared to other states. (Prairie Public News)
BIOFUELS: The U.S. EPA’s Inspector General says the agency has not complied with federal requirements to issue a report every three years on the effects of the nationwide biofuel use standard. (Reuters)
GRID: The U.S. power grid has been able to function recently without major problems, despite record-setting temperatures and unprecedented demand. (EnergyWire)
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COMMENTARY:
• Another reason to be outraged that Michigan has not yet shut down a pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac: “You and I are subsidizing Enbridge to maintain and operate Line 5.” (5 Lakes Energy)
• A new form of biomass made from agricultural waste can help the Midwest reduce its carbon emissions. (Northwest Indiana Post-Tribune)
CORRECTION: An item in Thursday’s digest incorrectly said where a Wisconsin county has delayed discussion on local wind turbines. It is in eastern Wisconsin.