UTILITIES: Former Wisconsin utility regulator Mike Huebsch applied to lead one of the state’s largest utilities shortly after voting to approve projects that benefited the company. (Wisconsin State Journal)
COAL:
• Environmental groups say Duke Energy is overcharging Indiana customers millions of dollars to dispatch uneconomic coal plants when cheaper alternatives are available. (E&E News, subscription)
• Illinois Basin coal production dropped 45% in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. (S&P Global)
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NUCLEAR:
• Exelon’s CEO apologizes for subsidiary ComEd’s involvement in a bribery scheme with state lawmakers but says the company still needs favorable policies for its Illinois nuclear plants. (Greentech Media)
• An activist group renews its effort to cancel a 20-year license extension for a southeastern Michigan nuclear plant. (Toledo Blade)
SOLAR:
• A graphic design and printing company installs a 1.3 MW rooftop solar project at its St. Paul, Minnesota, headquarters, making it the largest project in the city. (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal)
• Local officials in a western Michigan city expect to save more than $350,000 in energy costs after installing solar panels on municipal buildings. (MLive)
• An eastern Iowa county awards a contract to develop solar projects on seven municipal buildings. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
• A Wisconsin school district advances plans to install solar panels on two high schools. (WEAU)
EMISSIONS:
• A rural University of Minnesota campus generates about 60% of its electricity from renewable energy while meeting a net carbon neutral target. (Star Tribune)
• WEC Energy Group pledges to be carbon neutral by 2050 and spend $900 million on renewable energy over the next four years, though the company has no plans to close its Oak Creek coal plant. (Wisconsin Public Radio, Milwaukee Business Journal)
PIPELINES: After a recent court ruling involving the Keystone XL pipeline, the Army Corps of Engineers proposes to separate oil and gas pipelines from a permitting program involving utility projects that cross waterways. (E&E News, subscription)
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HYDROELECTRIC: The owner of a former hydroelectric dam that failed in eastern Michigan earlier this year files for bankruptcy. (Bridge Magazine)
COMMENTARY:
• The recent ComEd scandal provides an opportunity for Illinois lawmakers to pass an ambitious long-term clean energy plan, an editorial board says. (Chicago Sun-Times)
• An attorney and clean energy advocate says Ohio regulators should allow a pilot offshore wind project in Lake Erie to move forward without significant restrictions. (Utility Dive)