ELECTRIC CHOICE: A major utility says the income-guarantee deals approved in Ohio make the case against further deregulating Michigan’s electric market. (Midwest Energy News)
COAL:
• An Ohio state lawmaker introduces a bill to expand health benefits available to coal miners with blank lung disease and modernize the process for obtaining those benefits. (WOSU Radio)
• A “historic shift” is taking place in the coal industry, whose production so far in 2016 is more than 30 percent below the comparable period in 2015 and declining quickly. (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)
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PETCOKE: The city of Detroit is considering an ordinance to strictly regulate petcoke and other bulk solid materials in order to limit dust exposure in the air and water. (Detroit News)
EFFICIENCY: Wisconsin regulators reject a proposal to expand statewide a popular pilot program that gives rebates for customers who buy smart thermostats. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
FRAC SAND: The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is drafting a new permitting structure for frac sand mines to catch up with the industry’s growth. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
RENEWABLES:
• The oil and gas industry pressured a North Dakota museum into altering a “green energy” exhibit so it could appear more “balanced.” (Bismarck Tribune)
• Former NRG Energy CEO David Crane says the once-popular business model for financing clean energy projects known as “yieldcos” is “completely broken.” (Houston Business Journal)
GRID: MISO stakeholders provide input on how it can incorporate energy storage in its markets. (RTO Insider)
TRANSMISSION:
• A variety of clean-energy transmission projects are in various stages of development throughout the Midwest, some of whose fate is more certain than others. (Triple Pudit)
• A Minnesota utility says cost and lack of space are the main reasons why more transmission lines aren’t buried underground. (WCCO-TV)
PIPELINES:
• A group of Iowa landowners is suing state regulators for allowing a company to use eminent domain to build the Dakota Access pipeline. (The Gazette)
• A Republican state senator from Michigan plans to introduce legislation to ban future oil pipelines from being built in the Great Lakes and require an independent safety review Enbridge’s Line 5 that runs through the Straits of Mackinac. (Associated Press)
• TransCanada’s Keystone pipeline comes back online with reduced pressure as the company does additional inspections and reviews construction records. (Associated Press)
CONGRESS: Federal lawmakers are expected to unveil spending plans this week for the Department of Energy. (E&E Daily)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Wisconsin utility says offering incentives is still important for increasing electric-vehicle ownership. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
UTILITIES:
• Electric co-op members in southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa vote overwhelmingly to approve a merger between two companies. (Winona Daily News)
• AEP Ohio names a new president to replace outgoing president Pablo Vegas. (Columbus Business First)
COMMENTARY:
• As several Michigan coal plants head for retirement, it’s time for state lawmakers to act on a new energy plan. (Detroit News)
• A University of Michigan researcher says several states, including Michigan, have nuclear plants that are at risk of premature retirement. (Detroit News)