POLLUTION: Following an Ohio Supreme Court ruling last week, consumer advocates say ratepayers should not be on the hook for paying legacy pollution costs at utilities’ former power plants. (Midwest Energy News)
PIPELINES: While presenting the findings of a major study on potential alternatives to Enbridge’s Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac, the engineer who authored the report says the pipeline has a 1 in 60 chance of breaking by 2053. (MLive)
GRID: Developers of the Grain Belt Express wind energy transmission line will have another chance at regulatory approval in Missouri after litigation involving a different project has been settled. (Midwest Energy News)
RENEWABLES: Driven by new wind and solar development, the U.S. got more electricity from renewable sources than it did from nuclear in March and April for the first time in decades. (Associated Press)
NUCLEAR:
• A nuclear plant in southeast Michigan recently released higher-than-normal amounts of chlorine into Lake Erie. (MLive)
• The company that runs a nuclear plant in Kansas was among those targeted by recent cyberattacks, according to an urgent joint report issued last week by federal agencies. (New York Times)
COAL:
• Several coal train cars derail in Milwaukee, though officials say there is no threat to public safety. (Associated Press)
• U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry faced swift criticism after saying that increasing the supply of coal will lead to an increase in demand. (Associated Press)
• Coal and natural gas interests are at odds over a proposed 1,100-megawatt gas plant being planned near Springfield, Illinois. (Platts)
OIL AND GAS: A North Dakota agency approves a water withdrawal request for the developer of a planned oil refinery near a national park there, though for an amount less than originally requested. (Bismarck Tribune)
WIND: An American Electric Power subsidiary wants to buy a 175-megawatt wind project in northwest Ohio being developed by Chicago-based Invenergy. (Columbus Business First)
COMMENTARY:
• A North Dakota editorial board says plans for a proposed oil refinery near a national park there needs a comprehensive review by state regulators. (Bismarck Tribune)
• An author points out that numerous rigorous studies have shown that growth in renewable energy like wind and solar does not threaten the U.S. electric grid. (Yale Environment 360)
• The Union of Concerned Scientists says the completion of a 150-megawatt solar project in Minnesota marks “another big step forward in the state’s growth as a Midwest leader in the clean energy transition.”