COAL: In a victory for North Dakota, a federal appeals court upholds a ruling that a 2007 Minnesota law illegally regulates out-of-state utilities by restricting coal electricity imports. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
ALSO:
• An Illinois researcher is using 150-year-old technology to increase the efficiency of removing greenhouse gas pollutants from coal. (Midwest Energy News)
• The prospect of coal’s demise in Illinois “sparks fear and nostalgia.” (Chicago Reader)
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NUCLEAR: “Subsidized wind energy” — along with low wholesale power prices due to cheap natural gas — is driving the uncertainty of two of Exelon’s nuclear power plants in Illinois, the utility says. (EnergyWire)
RENEWABLES: The opposition to increasing Michigan’s renewable portfolio standard comes from lawmakers, not utilities. (MLive)
PIPELINES:
• Iowa landowners are appealing a recent court ruling that allows the use of eminent domain to build the Dakota Access pipeline. (Radio Iowa)
• Groups organize in downtown Cincinnati against a proposed natural gas pipeline that would run through the city. (WLWT-TV)
SOLAR:
• The batteries for a major solar-plus-storage project in Ohio have been installed. (Cleantechnica)
• Plans move forward for a 7-megawatt solar project at a former steel plant site in Indiana. (Kokomo Tribune)
• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce attacks solar net metering as part of a new campaign. (Grist)
FRAC SAND: A Minnesota county board passes a proposed frac sand mining ban on to a planning commission for further study. (Winona Post)
OIL AND GAS:
• April brought the largest drop ever in North Dakota’s oil production. (Forum News Service)
• Roughly 770 barrels of saltwater spilled, was contained and recovered at a drilling site in North Dakota. (Associated Press)
CLEAN TECH: Local officials are encouraged to provide funding support for an energy technology incubator that serves northeast Ohio. (Youngstown Vindicator)
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EFFICIENCY: Two southern Ohio school districts are recognized for their investments in LED lighting and other energy efficiency measures. (Huntington Herald-Dispatch)
COMMENTARY: Wind and solar will not easily fill the gap in zero-emissions generation lost due to nuclear plant closures. (Los Angeles Times)