MICHIGAN: Gov. Rick Snyder will unveil his energy plan today. (MLive)
WIND: The Department of Energy says wind power — without subsidies — will be cheaper than natural gas within a decade. (Bloomberg)
***SPONSORED LINK: Join venture capitalists, civic leaders, and industry executives on April 14 at the Clean Energy Challenge in Chicago to watch fourteen cleantech startups compete for $1 million in total funding.***
BIOFUELS: Legislation to encourage advanced biofuels in Minnesota is criticized by clean-water advocates who say it will encourage more reliance on corn. (Midwest Energy News)
OIL AND GAS:
• Union leaders have reached a deal to end a nationwide refinery strike. (Reuters)
• A poll finds most North Dakotans support tougher rules on flaring. (Bismarck Tribune)
• North Dakota officials find more illegally dumped radioactive oil field waste. (Associated Press)
• Researchers develop a tool to compare the climate impact of different types of crude oil. (ClimateWire)
• Chesapeake Energy still has high hopes for Ohio’s Utica Shale. (Columbus Business First)
CLIMATE: More research suggests a warming Arctic is altering the jet stream, causing more extreme summers and winters. (Washington Post)
SOLAR:
• More than half of North American utility requests for proposals for clean energy last year were for solar power. (Bloomberg)
• An Ohio college gets the go-ahead to build a solar project on a biological reserve. (Columbus Dispatch)
• An Iowa county scales back its solar plans after meeting with MidAmerican Energy. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
TECHNOLOGY: A Wisconsin company introduces a new battery for on-site energy storage. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
COAL: We Energies seeks to sell a small coal plant near Milwaukee. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
COAL ASH: House Republicans seek to “bring much-needed certainty” to coal ash regulation. (The Hill)
***SPONSORED LINK: Join Wind on the Wires March 19 for the “Energizing the Future” gala featuring former FERC Chair Jon Wellinghoff & former Congressman Bob Inglis. Reduced rates for NGOs.***
NEWSMAKER: Naomi Oreskes, author of “Merchants of Doubt,” discusses the current state of climate change denial. (InsideClimate News)
COMMENTARY:
• Michigan’s governor should veto “the counterproductive mess bubbling up from the legislature.” (Huffington Post)
• A Michigan conservative group is not opposed to energy mandates. (MLive)
• A former Ohio regulator argues that rooftop solar is overvalued. (Utility Dive)