EFFICIENCY: Advocates say municipally owned utilities in Iowa are underachieving when it comes to energy efficiency goals and could be pushed to do more. (Midwest Energy News)
OIL AND GAS: A petroleum tanker carrying 175,000 barrels of crude oil from North Dakota delivers a shipment to the Netherlands, the first of such shipments from the state since Congress lifted the oil export ban in December. (Associated Press)
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SUPREME COURT:
• Experts say this week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling on states’ interfering with wholesale power markets through power plant subsidies will likely lead to more challenges, including the income-guarantee cases in Ohio. (EnergyWire)
• Federal regulators are expected to consider the Supreme Court’s decision when it rules on upcoming challenges to the Ohio income-guarantee deals. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
STORAGE: Exelon is partnering with a renewable energy company on a 10-megawatt energy storage project in Ohio that is scheduled to be operational by the end of the year. (PennEnergy)
SOLAR: A warehouse storage company in Madison, Wisconsin commissions a 3,000-panel solar project on the roof of one of its buildings, making the fourth-largest solar project in the state. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
OHIO:
• A coalition of environmental groups and church leaders rally at the Ohio Statehouse urging lawmakers to end the state’s freeze on clean energy standards. (Columbus Dispatch)
• Gov. John Kasich says at a campaign stop in Maryland that he has “leverage” when it comes to resetting the standards. (Columbus Business First)
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A coalition of environmental and civil rights groups look to shut down a waste-to-energy facility in Minneapolis as part of the state’s Clean Power Plan compliance strategy. (MinnPost)
COAL:
• Workers at an Illinois coal mine are suing the mine owner, claiming a recent combustion event was man-made and that they are entitled to compensation after it was idled. (SNL)
• Ameren Missouri switches 300 megawatts of capacity at one of its coal plants to run on natural gas before the plant is scheduled to close in 2022. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy deflects criticism that federal regulations are killing coal-industry jobs, saying market conditions are the primary culprit. (ClimateWire)
• Consumers Energy says closing seven coal-fired plants in Michigan will save ratepayers $38 million. (Energy Manager Today)
PIPELINES: Advocates want Minnesota agencies geared toward pollution control and natural resources to do environmental impact reviews of two proposed pipelines through the state, rather than the state Department of Commerce. (Forum News Service)
CONGRESS:
• The U.S. Senate passes broad energy reform legislation on a 85-12 vote, sending it over to the House. (New York Times)
• One section of the bill was co-authored by Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and looks to strengthen building codes and promote energy efficiency. (Columbus Dispatch)
FRACKING: A judge in Wyoming will decide the fate of federal rules aimed at limiting environmental impacts of fracking after a challenge was brought by four states, including North Dakota. (Associated Press)
AIR POLLUTION: Southeast Michigan gets mixed reviews for ozone and particle pollution levels in a new American Lung Association report. (MLive)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Detroit-based Ford Motor Co. reportedly paid a $55,000 premium to purchase one of Tesla’s first sport utility vehicles so it could examine and test it. (Bloomberg)
COMMENTARY: The U.S. Senate’s broad energy legislation still “contains harmful measures” that would do little to curb carbon emissions. (New York Times)