UTILITIES: A Utility Dive survey finds utility executives see “immense opportunity” in clean energy and new business models; Grist’s David Roberts digs deeper into the results. (Utility Dive, Grist)
ALSO: A Minnesota energy provider buys a majority stake in a water-services company, noting that “water and energy are intricately linked, and attention to that nexus is increasing.” (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
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SOLAR: Why a Minnesota co-op is offering members a share of a community solar garden along with a free hot-water heater for only $170, and solar advocates say Indiana legislation is “clearly an attack by utilities on customers’ energy choices.” (Midwest Energy News, Climate Progress)
BIOENERGY: Iowa State researchers say that in addition to a biofuel feedstock, plant waste could provide a significant carbon sink. (Midwest Energy News)
WIND: Two major Ohio manufacturers invest $18 million in wind energy, and officials in a Michigan county say complaints from residents are prompting them to reconsider their ordinances for wind turbines. (Toledo Blade, Detroit News)
MICHIGAN: Michigan conservatives discuss the state’s clean-energy transition: “this is not a progressive issue.” (MLive)
OIL:
• Enbridge defends its original proposed Minnesota pipeline route. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• A Wisconsin county delays a decision on a proposed pipeline expansion amid ongoing discussions over spill liability. (Wisconsin State Journal)
• Orders for rail tank cars fall along with oil prices. (Bloomberg)
• North Dakota residents are concerned about looser regulations for radioactive drilling waste disposal. (KX News)
• Federal drilling leases net more than $4 million in North Dakota. (Forum News Service)
NUCLEAR: A prominent former opponent touts nuclear energy’s carbon advantages at an event in Chicago. (Chicago Tribune)
COAL: Ohio coal magnate Bob Murray takes his defamation case against a small-town newspaper to the state Supreme Court. (Columbus Dispatch)
CLIMATE: A new report projects significant temperature increases in the Lake Michigan basin over the coming century. (Great Lakes Echo)
ELECTRIC CARS: A Missouri utility plans to install more than 1,000 electric car chargers in the Kansas City area, and a ballot measure in Michigan would impose new fees on plug-in vehicles. (Kansas City Star, MLive)
FRAC SAND: A council member of a small Minnesota town says state officials are ignoring community concerns in the frac sand discussion. (The Uptake)
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EFFICIENCY: State officials OK a University of Minnesota combined-heat-and-power project (background here). (Minnesota Daily, Midwest Energy News archive)
COMMENTARY: Why the Rockford coal-to-gas plant will be a losing deal for Indiana. (Fort Wayne News-Sentinel)