RENEWABLES: General Motors announces it plans to power its global operations entirely by renewable energy by 2050. (Detroit News)
COAL: AEP is faced with two paths on whether to maintain or sell its remaining coal plants in Ohio. (Columbus Business Journal)
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CLEAN ENERGY: A new “community mapping” tool created by clean energy advocates gives policymakers and activists a national scorecard on state and local clean energy initiatives. (Midwest Energy News)
SOLAR:
• A Michigan utility begins construction of a 2 MW solar array on vacant Detroit land, and will renovate a nearby playground in the process. (Detroit Free Press)
• Critics say a Minnesota county is playing politics by approving one large solar project while opposing another. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
OIL AND GAS:
• South Dakota regulators will hold a hearing on whether an oil well hole left unplugged poses an environmental danger to drinking water wells in the area. (Rapid City Journal)
• An Ohio business coalition calls for overhauling state energy policy to encourage more shale gas development and end mandates for renewable energy. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
EFFICIENCY: An Ohio town plans to gather energy information on all its residential buildings in an effort to improve efficiency. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
EMISSIONS: A proposed bill in the U.S. House calls for the online posting of information about energy projects on federal lands and associated greenhouse gas emissions. (E&E Daily)
CLIMATE: A North Dakota city is challenged with dealing with record flood levels in recent years. (ClimateWire)
PIPELINES:
• An industry front group supporting the Dakota Access pipeline may be creating fake Twitter accounts to convey a pro-pipeline message on social media. (DeSmog)
• Dakota Access protesters say a lawsuit filed by the pipeline developer against them should be dismissed. (Associated Press)
• The FBI is investigating anonymous threats made against political leaders, law enforcement and Dakota Access construction workers. (KCCI-TV)
• Workers on the Dakota Access pipeline are putting in 12-hour days, 7 days a week. (Des Moines Register)
• A Native American University of Wisconsin basketball player says he’s joining the Dakota Access protest movement. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
• Attorneys say backers of the Dakota Access pipeline will face $430 million in losses and “innumerable other harms” if the project is halted. (EnergyWire)
TRANSPORTATION:
• A congressional panel will focus on new fuel efficiency rules in an upcoming hearing amid growing concerns from automakers. (Reuters)
• Electric bicycle sales are growing in Minnesota, though they are receiving mixed reactions from riders. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
MICROGRIDS: A Missouri engineering firm is awarded $1.5 million to help develop microgrid technology in Hawaii. (Pacific Business News)
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UTILITIES: Missouri regulators say utilities in the state will no longer be able to accept customer payments through payday lenders. (St. Louis Business Journal)
COMMENTARY: Enbridge says its pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac is “is as safe today as the day it was commissioned.” (Detroit News)