EFFICIENCY: FirstEnergy will let its industrial customers opt out of its efficiency program, a change allowed by Ohio’s recent energy law “freeze.” (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
ALSO: Indiana lawmakers defend repealing the state’s efficiency program, despite a new report showing $3 in benefits for every $1 spent. (Indiana Public Media)
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TRANSPORTATION: Despite its automotive legacy, Michigan is behind other Midwest states in establishing a better market for electric and other alternative-fuel vehicles, according to a new report. (Midwest Energy News)
WIND: A proposed wind and energy storage project in Wyoming and Utah is touted as the “21st Century Hoover Dam.” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
CLIMATE:
• Private companies lead the way on climate action. (New York Times)
• Facebook plans to leave ALEC. (The Guardian)
• President Obama’s climate announcement lacks specifics. (Politico)
• Global business leaders back a carbon price. (ClimateWire)
• The U.S. Chamber says EPA climate rules will be ineffective. (Pittsburgh Business Times)
COAL: Consumer groups say a Wisconsin utility is overcharging customers for its power plant in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and another Illinois city calls for investigation of the Prairie State Energy Campus. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Chicago Daily Herald)
ILLINOIS: Advocates push for more nuclear and renewable energy at a state hearing on meeting EPA carbon limits. (Associated Press)
OIL AND GAS:
• A North Dakota tribal election could have an impact on oil production. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Natural gas bills are expected to go up in part due to competition from power plants. (Columbus Business First)
• Enbridge lays the last leg of its replacement Line 6B pipeline in Michigan. (Michigan Radio)
• Minnesota’s governor calls for additional oil train safeguards. (Forum News Service)
• Industry officials tell North Dakota regulators that Bakken crude doesn’t pose an unusual safety risk. (Bismarck Tribune)
NUCLEAR: Resolutions in both the U.S. House and Senate oppose a proposed Canadian nuclear waste facility on Lake Huron. (Southgate News-Herald)
SOLAR: Officials in Rochester, Minnesota consider requiring future solar compatibility in an upcoming civic center remodel, and picnic tables with solar-powered phone chargers debut in Lansing, Michigan. (Rochester Post-Bulletin, MLive)
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INDIANA: In an update to state lawmakers, a Purdue University expert says Indiana has increased its use of renewable energy but still lags behind other states. (Statehouse File)
COMMENTARY: The Daily Show takes on climate deniers in Congress, why utilities shouldn’t limit energy choice, and is the climate movement too focused on fracking? (Comedy Central, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Council on Foreign Relations)