GRID: Utilities from North Dakota to Texas warn of rolling blackouts as widespread cold weather continues to stress the electric grid. (Washington Post)
OIL & GAS:
• The arctic outbreak has sent natural gas demand and prices soaring with utilities in several states calling for conservation efforts. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• An equipment failure causes 25,200 gallons of crude oil to spill at a North Dakota saltwater disposal well. (Minot Daily News)
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UTILITIES: Wisconsin regulators will require utilities to disclose the diversity of their workforce and suppliers as well as the portion of household income their customers spend on energy. (Wisconsin State Journal)
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: The Indiana NAACP opposes a proposed state Senate resolution calling for a carbon tax and dividend, saying it would further fossil fuel pollution in disadvantaged communities. (Indiana Public Radio)
PIPELINES:
• Line 3 opponents have ramped up efforts to stop the project in recent months with encampments set up across northern Minnesota. (InsideClimate News)
• A new initiative aims to pressure big banks to stop lending to Enbridge in an effort to stop Line 3 construction. (E&E News, subscription)
• Oil and gas industry officials say recent court rulings buy them more time to keep the Dakota Access pipeline operating, but the project’s future is uncertain. (KFYR)
RENEWABLES: Indiana county officials urge state lawmakers to reject a bill that critics say would strip local governments’ ability to regulate solar and wind projects. (Elkhart Truth)
SOLAR:
• The developer of a 101 MW solar project in northeastern Ohio seeks a lower tax rate from county officials. (Sentinel-Tribune)
• A central Michigan poultry facility seeks to meet about a quarter of its electricity demand with a new solar installation. (FOX17)
POWER PLANTS: An eastern Wisconsin county considers buying a former coal plant property from Wisconsin Public Service Corp. and redeveloping a portion of it to expand a nearby port. (Green Bay Press Gazette)
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EMISSIONS: Minnesota-based 3M announces a $1 billion spending plan over the next 20 years that includes a carbon neutrality goal by 2050. (Star Tribune)
COMMENTARY:
• Minnesota climate advocates say it’s time for the state to adopt a 100% clean energy target that includes equitable emission-reduction benefits. (MinnPost)
• A Minnesota rabbi says preventing job losses by building the Keystone XL pipeline is “short term salvation.” (Minnesota Reformer)
• Iowa is well positioned to see the economic benefits of a shift to renewable fuels in the coming decade, says the head of the Iowa Biodiesel Board. (Des Moines Register)