Correction appended.

NUCLEAR:
• After a three-hour committee hearing on Thursday, the fate of a bill to save Exelon’s struggling nuclear plants in Illinois is unclear. (Southern Illinoisan)
Under the plan, ratepayers across Illinois would have to pay $250 million in the first year to keep the two plants open. (Crain’s Chicago Business)

SOLAR:
• Advocates ask the Indiana Supreme Court to rehear a case involving emails between a state lawmaker and utilities over a controversial solar bill. (WIBC)
A Southeast Michigan city approves a resolution opposing a Republican-backed state energy proposal officials say would “decimate” the state’s solar industry. (MLive)
Legislation unanimously clears the Minnesota House of Representatives that would allow owners of ground-mounted solar installations over 40 kilowatts who include native vegetation on site to say their sites are beneficial to pollinators, song birds or game birds. (Minnesota House Public Information Services)
Advocates look to boost solar development in central Illinois through group buy-in programs. (Bloomington Pantagraph)
The U.S. Department of Energy says the electric grid will have to adapt in fundamental ways to respond to the projected growth of solar. (EnergyWire)

WIND: After months of rumors, the developer behind a 150-megawatt wind project under consideration in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is the subsidiary of global clean energy developer Renewable Energy Systems. (Midwest Energy News)

COAL:
• Local officials in southern Illinois are cautiously optimistic that recent coal mining layoffs won’t have widespread economic impacts. (Southern Illinoisan)
Coal companies are tightening their supplies amid several bankruptcies and restructuring. (SNL)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: Ohio lawmakers advance a bill that would prohibit the state from enforcing the federal rules. (Daily Caller)

OIL AND GAS:
• Nearly 17,000 gallons of oil and more than 100,000 gallons of a mixture of saltwater and oil have spilled in North Dakota. (Associated Press)
• A failed attempt at a deep oil well in South Dakota three years ago may cost the state $2 million in repairs and cleanup as well as endanger local water supplies. (Rapid City Journal)
A low-income housing subsidization program in North Dakota is at risk amid the oil and gas downturn. (Associated Press)
A look at the process of cleaning up drilling wastewater spills. (Columbus Dispatch)

BIOFUELS: A planned $140 million ethanol plant in South Dakota is delayed due to financial, legal and regulatory hurdles. (Associated Press)

WILDFIRE: The ongoing Alberta wildfire is releasing mercury and other contaminants into the atmosphere. (Grist)

PIPELINES: Construction has begun in three of four states in the path of the Dakota Access pipeline. (Associated Press)

TRANSPORTATION: Minnesota lawmakers grapple with whether to increase gasoline taxes or raise fees on tabs to pay for road repairs. (WCCO)

RENEWABLES: DTE Energy opens a renewable energy center in eastern Michigan to serve as a base of operations for its nearby wind and solar generation. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY:
• Michigan’s former Senate Majority Leader says reliability and affordability should be the two primary goals of new statewide energy policy. (MLive)
A recent planning exercise in a southeast Minnesota county shows rural communities can and should discuss climate change preparedness. (Billmoyers.com)

An earlier version incorrectly said a proposed law in Minnesota would require owners of ground-mounted solar installations to include native vegetation and foraging habitats on site. The program would be voluntary.

Andy compiles the Midwest Energy News digest and was a journalism fellow for Midwest Energy News from 2014-2020. He is managing editor of MiBiz in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was formerly a reporter and editor at City Pulse, Lansing’s alternative newsweekly.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.