EMISSIONS:
• Health advocates say there will be costs to the public if emissions rules like the Clean Power Plan continue to be delayed. (Midwest Energy News)
• By seeking to halt the U.S. EPA’s latest rules on mercury emissions, opponents appear to be testing Supreme Court justices’ willingness to grant such requests. (Greenwire)
WIND:
• As many as 49 wind turbines may be installed in a southwest Wisconsin township in 2017 as part of a 98-megawatt project. (Telegraph Herald)
• A coalition of business, labor and civic leaders in Nebraska start a petition for loosening restrictions on wind development in the state’s second-most populated county. (Lincoln Journal Star)
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OIL AND GAS: Federal lawmakers are still optimistic about the future of oil and gas development in eastern Ohio. (WTRF-TV)
GASOLINE:
• Due to greater fuel efficiency, consumption is lower than it was at its peak in 2007 even though Americans are driving more than they did then. (Climate Central)
• U.S. refineries are cutting back on production, which could help cut into the record glut of supplies. (Bismarck Tribune)
• One year after a 10-cent gas tax took effect in Iowa, the increase at the pump is helping fund needed construction and repair projects. (The Gazette)
PIPELINES:
• Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad says he would allow an oil pipeline to be built on his agricultural property if he was fairly compensated. (The Gazette)
• Protesters interrupt Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton during a speech to call for greater scrutiny of a planned pipeline through the state. (Associated Press)
OIL-BY-RAIL: An inspector general report says federal regulators are failing to prosecute serious rail safety violations for oil transporters and are going lightly on civil fines. (Associated Press)
EFFICIENCY: Investors flee a Wisconsin-based lighting manufacturer that has shifted its focus to LED production, though the company says there is still a strong market for the product. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
TRANSMISSION: Minnesota regulators approve a permit for a new transmission line to carry hydroelectric power from Manitoba to northeast Minnesota. (Associated Press)
DIVESTMENT: Advocates at Northwestern University continue to push school administrators to divest in fossil fuel interests. (North by Northwestern)
MERGER: Washington D.C. regulators say they would approve a $6.8 billion merger between Chicago-based Exelon and Pepco if additional concessions are made. (RTO Insider)
FRACKING: The Moms Clean Air Force looks to build momentum against fracking development in the Quad-Cities region. (Quad-City Times)
OHIO: AEP says Pennsylvania regulators’ concerns about income-guarantee requests in Ohio are “misguided.” (Columbus Business First)
CLEAN ENERGY: Experts wonder whether the transition to wind, solar and natural gas will create a lack of fuel diversity. (EnergyWire)
COAL: Federal lawmakers look to extend a tax incentive for carbon capture equipment at coal facilities as well as increasing the credit value of using carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery. (Utility Dive)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: As electric and hybrid vehicles become cheaper to produce, analysts say the “crude-oil economy is in for a shocker.” (CNET)
COMMENTARY:
• The Environmental Defense Fund says approving the two “bailout” deals in Ohio would undermine the competitive auction process. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s resistance to clean energy policy is “irresponsible.” (Indiana Business Journal)
• Why rural co-ops are getting into solar. (Vox)
• The timing is right to upgrade an 80-year-old steam plant in Duluth, Minnesota to be more efficient.(Duluth News Tribune)