COAL: A Wisconsin-based utility is accused of manipulating corporate records in order to recoup certain costs for upgrading an Upper Peninsula coal plant. Meanwhile, the same utility is involved in a new plan to solve reliability concerns in the region. (Midwest Energy News)
ALSO:
• A new study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland finds laid-off coal miners are “beginning to bow to the inevitable and train for jobs in other industries.” (Bloomberg)
• An industry presentation recently discovered compares coal’s problems with that of the tobacco industry. (New York Times)
• An Indiana utility plans to demolish a former coal plant in Gary, Indiana along Lake Michigan in hopes of redeveloping the site. (Indiana Public Media)
• Plans to finish decommissioning an old coal plant site in Iowa move forward as a utility seeks to cap a coal ash storage pond. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• Workers at a Michigan coal plant that was on fire for 12 hours last week are being reassigned and it’s unclear when the plant will reopen. (Associated Press)
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NUCLEAR:
• Cheaper natural gas and renewables make for an uncertain future for nuclear plants in both regulated and deregulated Midwest states. (Midwest Energy News)
• Industry officials hope New York’s policy to save struggling nuclear plants can be replicated in other states. (EnergyWire)
PIPELINES: Developers of the Dakota Access pipeline sue in federal court to stop protesters near tribal land in North Dakota from interfering with the project. (Associated Press)
SOLAR: A community radio station in Illinois completes the first phase of an initiative to power the station with solar. (Southern Business Journal)
EMISSIONS: Wisconsin-based Alliant Energy seeks to cut carbon emissions 40 percent by 2030. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
EFFICIENCY: Michigan’s top energy official says efficiency should be a key component of the state’s energy future. (MLive)
OIL AND GAS:
• An energy executive from Texas says there is growth potential in Ohio and North Dakota. (Columbus Business First)
• Two members of Kansas’ congressional delegation tell a crowd of oil and gas officials that the industry is under a “full-scale assault” from the Obama administration and environmental groups. (Associated Press)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Ameren seeks permission to install six electric vehicle charging stations in the St. Louis area. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• A new study says “range anxiety” may be overblown. (Washington Post)
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POLITICS: A Kansas Republican says state lawmakers need to be better informed about clean energy. (ClimateWire)
TRANSMISSION: Grid operator MISO seeks permission to charge fees on electricity that is exported to the PJM market. (RTO Insider)