SMART GRID: Despite concerns over cost and security, many see Illinois utilities’ buildout of the state’s smart grid over the past five years as a success. (Midwest Energy News)
BIOMASS: One of the pioneering biomass facilities in Minnesota may shut down: “Biomass is no longer the attractive fuel it once was.” (Minnesota Public Radio)
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NUCLEAR:
• An environmental attorney wonders why Michigan-based DTE Energy is still interested in plans for a new nuclear plant amid unfavorable economics across the region. (Crain’s Detroit Business)
• $300 million is at stake as Ohio lawmakers begin testimony over FirstEnergy’s request for ratepayer support for its struggling nuclear plants. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• Federal nuclear regulators deny a citizens’ group request to reopen licensing proceedings over concerns about a southeast Michigan nuclear plant. (Toledo Blade)
PIPELINES:
• A Michigan-based group is pursuing a statewide ballot proposal that seeks to stop the flow of crude oil through the Straits of Mackinac. (Detroit Free Press)
• Enbridge is conducting emergency response tests in Bay City, Michigan in preparation for a potential spill from Line 5. (MLive)
WIND: A South Dakota county agrees to back down back down on some restrictive wind siting proposals after negotiations with major renewable energy developers. (Watertown Public Opinion)
OIL AND GAS: North Dakota lawmakers approve a bill that will study gas royalty payments amid a dispute between the state and the industry. (Forum News Service)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Major automakers are objecting to Volkswagen’s plan to fund electric vehicle infrastructure as part of the settlement from its emissions-cheating scandal. (Reuters)
STORAGE: A Missouri utility is partnering with a Swedish private equity firm on an energy storage pilot project. (Utility Dive)
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A Nebraska city continues paying for the mounting costs of odor issues at a waste-to-energy facility, which have grown to nearly $2 million. (Sioux City Journal)
COAL:
• U.S. senators from Ohio continue working on a long-term funding plan for retired coal miners’ health and pension benefits as Congress nears an agreement over a funding extension. (WKSU, Associated Press)
• Dynegy moves to buy Dayton Power and Light’s ownership stakes in two Ohio coal plants. (Dayton Daily News)
• A Columbia University report this week says more than 95 percent of coal’s decline is due to low natural gas prices, falling electricity demand and growth in renewables. (Climate Central)
BIOFUELS:
• Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is a leading the push for a biodiesel tax credit extension that would apply to producers instead of blenders. (Radio Iowa)
• Construction is expected to begin soon to expand the production capacity of a South Dakota ethanol plant. (Farm Forum)
• In a meeting that included Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture, President Trump reiterated his support for the ethanol industry. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
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CLIMATE: Several buses filled with climate change activists left Minnesota this week for the World Climate March in Washington D.C. (WCCO)
COMMENTARY:
• The Chicago Sun Times says a report this week about newly identified spills along Enbridge’s Line 5 has “ratcheted up worries” about threats posed by the pipeline.
• “Utility of the future discussions have gone mainstream,” notes one energy analyst, and most recently in Illinois, Ohio and Minnesota. (Forbes)
• A Forbes contributor says unlike FirstEnergy’s attempts to support uneconomic power plants, other major utilities are making large investments in clean energy.