NOTE TO READERS: Midwest Energy News is taking a break for Thanksgiving. We’ll return on Monday, November 30.
CLEAN POWER PLAN: While Ohio officials object to the federal Clean Power Plan, they are in the early stages of exploring compliance options and an extension to submit a plan. (Midwest Energy News)
PIPELINES: Activists are seizing on the momentum of Keystone XL’s rejection by calling attention to another pipeline expansion project at the U.S./Canadian border. (Inside Climate News)
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NUCLEAR: Federal regulators find a Michigan nuclear plant will be safe to operate through 2031, which anti-nuclear advocates dispute. (MLive)
COAL:
• Hundreds rally in North Dakota, often seen primarily as an oil state, to protest the Clean Power Plan’s potential impact on the state’s coal industry. (Rocky Mountain PBS)
• In eastern Iowa, legacy coal-plant sites still threaten groundwater supplies. (KCRG-TV)
SOLAR: Xcel Energy reports that 24 community solar projects in Minnesota are moving towards construction and that the pace of applications has “slowed considerably.” (Renewable + Law)
EMISSIONS:
• A new report shows carbon emissions per capita are highest in the least-populated, coal-dependent states. (Climate Central)
• Using a $100,000 camera, advocates are visiting Ohio to film harmful emissions detected from shale gas operations. (Akron Beacon Journal)
RELIABILITY: Replacing large transformers still poses a challenge to cities, where they could take months to replace and threaten reliability. (EnergyWire)
FINANCING: A new study shows Property-Assessed Clean Energy financing does not put lenders at risk and creates a sale premium on the property. (Greentech Media)
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CAPACITY AUCTIONS: Federal regulators reject grid operator MISO’s request to make annual capacity auctions mandatory. (RTO Insider)
COMMENTARY:
• As is evidence in Iowa, “Today’s farmers can play a key role in climate solutions.” (New York Times)
• At least one Michigan business owner agrees: More legislative work is left to be done to strengthen clean-energy development in Michigan. (MLive, NRDC Switchboard)