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)

***SPONSORED LINK: EPA’s section 111(D) is driving generation and transmission in MISO. Infocast’s MISO Market Summit 2015 will bring policy-makers together with utility, IPP and DR executives to explore the opportunities to solve reliability and power market problems.***

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)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join the nation’s most successful women leaders in energy as they share their industry knowledge, strategies and experiences at the Leadership Conference for Women in Energy, June 2-3 in Indianapolis.***

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)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

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