KANSAS: The Kansas House rejects a bill that would have repealed the state’s renewable energy standard. (Topeka Capital-Journal)
SOLAR: Minnesota regulators are expected to decide today whether a proposed solar project can meet Xcel Energy’s peak power needs more cost-effectively than natural gas (background here). Check Midwest Energy News later today for updates.
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OIL: The Coast Guard says up to 755 gallons of oil spilled from a BP refinery into Lake Michigan, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he expects “a full accounting of the damage that was done.” (MLive, CBS Chicago)
ALSO: A Chicago company has an idea to route oil trains around the city, and a Montana man sues over his son’s death in a North Dakota oil field incident. (EnergyWire, Missoulian)
OHIO: Ohio regulators decide to make no changes to the state’s system of regulated pricing. (Columbus Dispatch)
PUBLIC OPINION: A new survey by the University of Michigan’s Energy Institute aims to take an “objective” and “non-leading” look at consumers’ opinions on energy issues. (Midwest Energy News)
TECHNOLOGY: In the first in our four-part series on finalists in the Clean Energy Challenge, we look at a Chicago company that hopes improved access to energy data will help Nigerian businesses rely less on diesel generators. (Midwest Energy News)
GRID: Bills in the House and Senate would give FERC broader authority to address vulnerabilities to the electrical grid. (The Hill)
EMISSIONS: Milwaukee officials call for an energy independence plan that will increase the use of renewable energy; and the CEO of Integrys a transition to low-carbon energy is happening, but will still take time. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
TRANSMISSION: Developers of the Grain Belt Express line ask Missouri regulators to approve their route through the state. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
WIND: The Ohio Supreme Court hears arguments over whether a wind farm should be allowed to proceed over objections from county-level officials. (Dayton Daily News)
NATURAL GAS: American Electric Power expects its natural gas capacity to increase 65 percent from 2005-2016, and North Dakota regulators approve two new natural gas units to meet growing electricity demand in the Oil Patch. (Columbus Business First, Fargo Forum)
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HYDROPOWER: An Ohio town nears completion of a 105 MW hydropower project that, along with other sources, will help the city get up to 70 percent of its power from carbon-free sources. (Journal-News)
COMMENTARY: Monday’s oil spill is just the latest pollution controversy from BP’s Whiting refinery, and grid parity may be coming soon to a utility near you. (NRDC Switchboard, Washington Post)