COAL: After having to pay for millions in cost overruns, Indiana ratepayers may now be on the hook for repair costs at a troubled coal gasification plant. (Indianapolis Star)
ALSO:
• Ohio may lease part of a state forest for a strip-mining operation. (Columbus Dispatch)
• A coal plant in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will shut down today. (Associated Press)
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SOLAR:
• Controversy over a proposed solar project in a Minnesota town points to the growing challenge of planning and zoning of large scale solar projects around the state. (Midwest Energy News)
• A Minnesota solar rebate program is drawing increased scrutiny. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
CLIMATE:
• The International Energy Agency says current pledges are not enough to keep global warming at a safe level. (Washington Post)
• A profile of Dr. Naomi Oreskes, who has fought to uncover industry efforts to discredit climate science. (New York Times)
TRANSMISSION: Missouri regulators grapple with a question of state vs. national interests in a dispute over a clean-energy transmission line. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
UTILITIES:
• Utility and power companies will create a national stockpile of transformers and other equipment to aid in disaster recovery. (EnergyWire)
• Why Missouri ratepayers will benefit from a spike in capacity prices in Illinois. (Crain’s Chicago Business)
• Why consumers rarely win in disputes with Ohio utilities. (Toledo Blade)
• Minnesota regulators sign off on Wisconsin Energy’s proposed acquisition of Integrys. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
OIL AND GAS:
• A new interactive feature explores whether Minnesota is ready for an oil train disaster. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• North Dakota oil production dropped by 22,000 barrels per day in April. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Environmental groups in Kansas and Oklahoma raise attention to earthquakes related to fracking. (Associated Press)
• An industry group launches a website using memes, listicles and other features to attack drilling critics. (Columbus Business First)
WIND: A new wind farm in South Dakota is now producing power. (Associated Press)
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EFFICIENCY: University of Kansas students unveil a new passive house in Lawrence. (Lawrence Journal-World)
COMMENTARY:
• Don’t let the spinning of a recent EPA report distract from the risks of fracking. (Toledo Blade)
• Why rural areas will benefit the most from clean energy. (Des Moines Register)