SOLAR:
• Clean energy advocates now find themselves on the same side as a Wisconsin utility as it seeks state permission for a community solar project. (Midwest Energy News)
South Dakota lawmakers approve a bill to change the state’s tax structure to make solar installations more economical to develop. (Rapid City Journal)

COAL:
• Illinois’ attorney general is considering legal action against a state agency for not enforcing rules that were brokered two years ago to strengthen coal mine oversight. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
The fall of Peabody Energy — the world’s largest private coal producer — would be highly symbolic for the industry. (SNL / Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)

*** SPONSORED LINK: Solar Powering Iowa, March 23-24 in Cedar Rapids will be packed with an energizing mix of pre-conference trainings, keynotes, breakout sessions, and networking. Register today!***

WIND:
• Residents in Michigan’s Thumb region remain vocally opposed to ongoing wind turbine development. (Huron Daily Tribune)
• 
Investigators have still not determined what caused a wind turbine to collapse in Michigan last month. (Detroit Free Press)

PIPELINES:
• It is unclear why a Texas company wants permission to move crude oil through 98-year-old pipelines beneath a river in eastern Michigan even though the company says it would not use it for that purpose. (The Voice)
Construction will begin early next year on a pipeline that will bring natural gas from the Marcellus Shale region through southeast Michigan. (Crain’s Detroit Business)

NUCLEAR: Fundamental disagreements over whether nuclear power offers a safe path to carbon reduction clouds the fuel source’s future. (Climate Central)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• Michigan advocates hope to see action on energy policy this year after seeing it get put on the legislative back-burner. (MiBiz)
Galena, Illinois has spent the past five years transitioning to cleaner energy and becoming more energy efficient. (Telegraph Herald)

OIL BY RAIL: Minnesota first responders learn how to prepare for oil train derailments. (KSTP-TV)

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Conservatives vow to place “another Justice Scalia” on the U.S. Supreme Court to help block President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. (E&E Daily)
Despite efforts to block the rules and save the declining coal industry, utilities are already transitioning to cleaner energy. (Climate Central)

***SPONSORED LINK: The Advancing Renewables in the Midwest Conference, April 11-12 in Columbia, Missouri focuses on programs, policies, and projects that enhance the use of renewable energy resources in the Midwest for the economic benefit of the region. Register today!***

VOLKSWAGEN SCANDAL: The automaker says it may take months rather than weeks to reach an agreement with U.S. officials on an emissions fix. (Reuters)

COMMENTARY:
• Twenty years after a major oil train accident in Wisconsin, rail safety remains a concern as oil traffic increases. (Wisconsin State Journal)
An effort is underway to let college students help design state plans to reduce carbon emissions. (New York Times)
Clarifying community solar offerings in Minnesota will allow the industry to grow. (Mankato Free Press)
Allowing for growth in Wisconsin’s solar market “is the right strategy for the future.” (LaCrosse Tribune)

Andy compiles the Midwest Energy News digest and was a journalism fellow for Midwest Energy News from 2014-2020. He is managing editor of MiBiz in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was formerly a reporter and editor at City Pulse, Lansing’s alternative newsweekly.

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