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MICHIGAN: As Gov. Rick Snyder prepares to make a major statewide energy policy announcement in March, advocates are concerned it will be overly focused on natural gas. (Midwest Energy News)
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SOLAR: Wisconsin solar backers file a lawsuit challenging regulators on recent rate decisions, utilities embrace community solar, and advocates want to make Iowa City a solar leader. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Utility Dive, Huffington Post)
COAL: An Ohio company backs off a plan to mine for coal under a state park, a court rules that coal mining can take place in Ohio wetlands, and forecasts show coal retaining a significant share of electricity generation in coming decades. (Columbus Dispatch, EnergyWire)
CHICAGO: An audit of a utility’s multibillion-dollar natural gas pipeline replacement program is being concealed from the public. (Chicago Tribune)
WIND: U.S. wind installations grew sixfold last year. (Bloomberg)
OIL:
• Crews continue to clean up a major brine spill in North Dakota. (Associated Press)
• Water in a Montana town impacted by a pipeline spill may be safe to drink again as early as today. (Reuters)
• Enbridge is expected to restore landscaping along a pipeline route in Michigan this spring. (InsideClimate News)
• North Dakota boom towns prepare for thousands of layoffs. (CNN)
OHIO: Four finalists have been forwarded to Gov. John Kasich for an open seat on the state’s Public Utilities Commission, and a state lawmaker seeks to restore Ohio’s leadership in clean energy. (Columbus Business First, Paulding Progress)
ELECTRIC CARS: Missouri auto dealers sue the state for allowing Tesla’s sales model. (Associated Press)
EFFICIENCY: The Energy Department is offering $55 million to develop more efficient vehicles. (The Hill)
ETHANOL: Iowa officials seek to make ethanol a central issue in the 2016 presidential race. (The Hill)
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COMMENTARY: Why net metering isn’t unfair to other customers, and Wisconsin embarks on a losing strategy on climate change. (Utility Dive, Urban Milwaukee)
CORRECTION: An item in yesterday’s digest misidentified the Wisconsin Farmers Union.