RENEWABLES:
• Developers in Iowa are rushing to complete large renewable energy projects by the end of the year before a key state tax credit expires. (Midwest Energy News)
• Northern Michigan farmers are increasingly relying on solar, geothermal and wind energy to power their operations. (Petoskey News-Review)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A national trade group raises concerns about AEP’s plan to develop electric vehicle charging stations in Ohio, saying the utility would be able to control the market. (Columbus Business First)
***SPONSORED LINK: Network with 450-plus solar, storage and utility execs at the 4th Annual Midwest Solar Expo & Smart Energy Symposium, May 22-24 in Minneapolis. Gain the latest market insights and trends while networking with hundreds of industry leaders. Register today. ***
OIL AND GAS:
• Ohio Republicans add a provision to a state budget bill that strips the governor’s ability to control oil and gas drilling on state land. (Reuters)
• An Ohio city is planning a lawsuit to stop the Nexus gas pipeline from being built there. (Associated Press)
• A group identifies land in the North Dakota Badlands to serve as a test site for better oil and gas drilling practices as a way to protect the land. (Bismarck Tribune)
RESEARCH: Minnesota Republicans move to cut state grant funding for climate education and solar energy. (City Pages)
SOLAR: A state grant will explore the potential for community solar in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. (UPMatters.com)
ADVOCACY: About a dozen environmental and public health groups file a lawsuit against the EPA to stop it from overturning regulations that limit water pollution from coal-fired power plants. (Associated Press)
PIPELINES:
• Hundreds of residents show up to a Nebraska Public Service Commission hearing to voice their opinion on the Keystone XL pipeline, as the state becomes a battleground over the project. (Lincoln Journal Star, Guardian)
• Another act of vandalism has taken place against the Dakota Access pipeline in Iowa, though no major damage was caused. (Radio Iowa)
BIOMASS:
• A Missouri farmer has success with growing miscanthus as a biomass crop on marginal land. (Moberly Monitor-Index)
• Congress’s spending agreement directs several federal agencies to start defining wood energy as climate friendly, despite the fuel sometimes rivaling coal in its climate impacts. (Climate Central)
COMMENTARY:
• The Michigan League of Conservation Voters says the state’s new energy laws will lead to “continued development of clean energy, lower electric bills, and less air pollution.” (Bridge Magazine)
• The general manager of a Michigan-based electric cooperative says there needs to be continued investment in the state’s grid infrastructure. (Traverse City Record-Eagle)
• An Indiana editorial board says a new law that will phase out net metering is a major giveaway to utility companies. (Logansport Pharos-Tribune)