MICHIGAN: Why some experts blame a 2008 regulatory exemption for the current energy crisis in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. (Midwest Energy News)
ALSO: A special section in the Detroit Free Press explores the energy future for the rest of the state.
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WIND: MidAmerican announces a $280 million wind energy expansion in Iowa. (Des Moines Register)
OHIO: All but three members of Ohio’s energy law study committee voted to “freeze” the states renewable energy and efficiency standards. (Columbus Business First)
OIL AND GAS: A refinery in Washington state will no longer accept North Dakota oil shipped in older tank cars, rail delays disrupt business in Wisconsin, and a report finds $3.5 billion in oil and gas investment in Ohio over the past six months. (Bellingham Herald, Wisconsin State Journal, Columbus Business First)
WISCONSIN: The Racine City Council passes a resolution opposing We Energies’ proposed rate changes, warning of “significant environmental and economic damage” by discouraging renewable energy. (Racine Journal Times)
SOLAR: A newspaper’s investigation finds a now-defunct solar firm misallocated state funds, and an Indiana cooperative launches a community solar project. (Toledo Blade, Crawfordsville Journal Review)
TRANSPORTATION: A Michigan EPA lab helps develop the fuel-efficient cars of the future. (ClimateWire)
EFFICIENCY: An Illinois weatherization program is falling short of its goals, and a Michigan brewery tries to further decrease its energy impact. (Better Government Association, MLive)
GRID: The shift to digital meters means big business for an Ohio company. (Columbus Dispatch)
***SPONSORED LINK: Join top executives from the area’s RTOs, utilities, transmission developers, and state regulatory agencies at EUCI’s Transmission Expansion in the Midwest, Nov. 4-5 in Indianapolis.***
CLIMATE: Iowa scientists warn climate changes impacts are already being felt in the state. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
COMMENTARY: A former Green Bay Packer says solar should be given a chance to compete, and the state’s largest newspaper says Wisconsin utilities are asking for too much at the wrong time. (Green Bay Press Gazette, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)