NUCLEAR: Advocates suggest using former coal plant sites to install small, prefabricated nuclear reactors. (Midwest Energy News)
COAL:
• In rejecting a company’s request to store a coal byproduct along the Detroit River, city officials say it’s “better to be safe than sorry.” (Detroit Free Press)
• An upcoming federal court ruling in Virginia could have far-reaching effects on how energy companies dispose of coal ash. (Associated Press)
*** SPONSORED LINK: Illinois Renewable Energy Conference, July 21st in Normal, Illinois, will feature plenary sessions of interest to all areas of renewable energy, plus specific breakout sessions for wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and energy efficiency.***
TRANSMISSION: Missouri regulators will take another 60 days to determine whether the Grain Belt Express transmission project will get reconsideration. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
RATES:
• Consumer advocates say it’s time to have a “serious conversation about the lack of direction in Ohio’s energy market.” (Public News Service)
• Increasing rates are hurting industrial customers across the Upper Midwest. (Fairfield Sun Times)
EMISSIONS: A Missouri researcher is working on a device that removes carbon emissions from fossil fuel power plants. (Columbia Daily Tribune)
OIL AND GAS:
• Officials say more than 800 gallons of an oil and water mix spilled from a well pad in North Dakota and into a nearby creek. (Associated Press)
• Advocates in Michigan are on a 750-mile bike ride to protest the oil pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac. (MLive)
• Officials say aging tank cars used to transport oil by rail could be in service for another 15 years due to a lack of mandatory upgrades. (Associated Press)
CLEAN ENERGY: Officials in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, say the city is on track to meet clean energy goals that were first laid out nine years ago. (LaCrosse Tribune)
***SPONSORED LINK: Now Open: Midwest Energy News 40 Under 40 award program seeks young leaders working to transition Midwest to clean energy. Make your nomination today! ***
CLIMATE:
• The Union of Concerned Scientists will continue to object to releasing communications with state attorneys general amid an inquiry on fossil fuel companies’ climate change activities. (E&E Daily)
• Exxon Mobil’s latest corporate sustainability report shows a mixed message on the company’s position on climate change. (ClimateWire)
COMMENTARY: The chairman and CEO of Michigan-based DTE Energy says electric rates are simply higher in deregulated states compared to regulated ones. (Utility Dive)