SOLAR: Minnesota’s largest utility says it will limit the number of community solar projects at a single site, which advocates say is in defiance of state regulators’ earlier rulings. (Midwest Energy News)

INFRASTRUCTURE: Iowa lawmakers advance bills to limit the use of eminent domain on pipeline and transmission projects. (Des Moines Register)

***SPONSORED LINK: EPA’s section 111(D) is driving generation and transmission in MISO. Infocast’s MISO Market Summit 2015 will bring policy-makers together with utility, IPP and DR executives to explore the opportunities to solve reliability and power market problems. ***

EFFICIENCY: Strong opposition from building owners is expected at a meeting today discussing a possible benchmarking ordinance in Kansas City; several other cities have passed similar policies. (Midwest Energy News)

GRID: MISO says bidders followed the rules in a recent capacity auction that caused a price spike in southern Illinois, but changes in bidding strategies led to the unusual outcome. (SNL)

INDIANA: An effort to protect state lawmakers from having to release their emails, prompted by a records request related to a recent anti-solar bill, stalls in the legislature. (Indianapolis Star)

WISCONSIN: A business group debates with a consumer advocacy group over efforts to cut the latter off from a state pool of ratepayer funds. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

COAL: Advocates raise concerns about whether coal companies will be financially able to clean up mine sites as the market declines. (Greenwire)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: A new report says Minnesota is well-positioned to meet carbon targets. (MinnPost)

OIL AND GAS:
• A drilling company has narrowed its Ohio activity down to two counties. (Columbus Business First)
• No one was injured in an explosion and fire at a Wisconsin refinery yesterday. (Associated Press)

HYDROPOWER: A federal report says more than 4 GW of additional hydropower could be added to the grid. (InsideClimate News)

TRANSPORTATION: A Michigan researcher’s analysis finds flying is generally less energy intensive than driving, depending on a few factors. (Washington Post)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join the nation’s most successful women leaders in energy as they share their industry knowledge, strategies and experiences at the Leadership Conference for Women in Energy, June 2-3 in Indianapolis.***

TECHNOLOGY: An Iowa company tests a zero-emissions tractor that runs on hydrogen and ammonia. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

COMMENTARY: Why a solar future is inevitable. (Vox)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

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