SOLAR: A $30 million green bank in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, built from public and private donations as well as conventional loans, could double the county’s solar output in five years, according to a new report. (Cleveland.com)
ALSO:
• Wisconsin regulators approve plans for a 9 MW solar project at a Dane County airport, which is expected to meet 40% of the county’s electricity needs. (Wisconsin State Journal)
• Construction has begun on a 150 MW solar project in eastern Wisconsin. (WLUK)
• In Minnesota, which accounts for more than one-third of the U.S. community solar market, Xcel Energy reports about 16,700 residential subscribers in the state’s program. (Greentech Media)
• The smog reduction as a result of less driving, flying and industrial activity could improve the efficiency of solar panels. (Grist)
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PIPELINES: The Army Corps of Engineers asks a federal judge to allow the Dakota Access pipeline to keep operating while the agency redoes part of its environmental analysis of the project. (E&E News, subscription)
BIOFUELS:
• An Iowa congresswoman co-sponsors a bill to issue $500 million in fuel infrastructure grants so higher levels of ethanol and biodiesel could be blended. (Radio Iowa)
• Former Iowa Gov. and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the state’s biofuels industry is in “very, very serious shape.” (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
COAL:
• The Ohio EPA issues a wastewater discharge permit for a planned surface coal mine in southeastern Ohio. (Athens News)
• An Ohio coal plant scheduled to be decommissioned later this month burns the last of its coal supplies. (Columbus Dispatch)
• A request by Consol Energy — a rival and major lender to Murray Energy as it moves through bankruptcy — to pursue liquidation of Murray Energy could put 2,000 miners out of work, a coal labor union says. (Wheeling News-Register)
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UTILITIES: DTE Energy will offer $30 million to $40 million in electric bill relief to customers this summer as a result of lower generating and fuel costs. (Detroit Free Press)
FRAC SAND: A Wisconsin frac sand producer lays off 55 employees, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and underlying market challenges. (Tomah Journal)