NOTE TO READERS: Midwest Energy News will be taking a break for Memorial Day. The email digest will return on Tuesday, May 26.
COAL: Murray Energy is expected to announce layoffs of 1,800 workers in Ohio and West Virginia today, as the company’s CEO predicts a wave of bankruptcies in the industry. (Wall Street Journal, Pittsburgh Business Times)
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UTILITIES:
• Wisconsin regulators approve Wisconsin Energy’s takeover of Integrys, but concerns remain in Illinois over who will pay for mismanagement of a Chicago gas line replacement project. (Green Bay Press-Gazette, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Illinois legislation could mean customers of other utilities pay for Exelon’s power plants. (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
COAL ASH:
• Ameren works with a Missouri county to block environmental challenges to a proposed coal ash landfill. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• Experts say the Justice Department’s crackdown on Duke Energy “should terrify other utilities.” (InsideClimate News)
PIPELINES:
• A coalition pushes for stronger oversight of aging pipelines running beneath Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac. (Huffington Post)
• Michigan lawmakers seek an assessment of what’s been learned since the 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill. (Detroit News)
• North Dakota will begin holding public hearings on a proposed pipeline that has seen strong opposition in Iowa. (Bismarck Tribune)
OIL AND GAS: A drilling company says it may resume operations in Ohio sooner than expected. (Columbus Business First)
WIND:
• A bill to let Ohio counties override strict state wind setback rules is “in its early stages yet.” (Van Wert Times Bulletin)
• A Detroit suburb moves ahead with plans to install two wind turbines at a brownfield site. (The News-Herald)
• Developers say proposed noise rules in a Nebraska county would effectively prohibit new wind projects there. (Lincoln Journal Star)
TRANSMISSION: Minnesota regulators approve a certificate of need for a transmission line connecting the state with Canada. (Mesabi Daily News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Minnesota regulators approve lower rates for off-peak electric vehicle charging. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• The Obama administration withdraws its goal of having 1 million electric vehicles on the road by this year. (Bloomberg)
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TRANSPORTATION:
• More school districts explore propane as an alternative to diesel to fuel buses. (New York Times)
• Wisconsin lawmakers propose a $25 tax on bicycle sales. (Madison Capital Times)
COMMENTARY: How expanding choice could help cut costs in Michigan. (Detroit News)