OHIO: Republican Gov. John Kasich says freezing the state’s clean-energy standards indefinitely is “unacceptable.” (Associated Press, Gannett Ohio)
IOWA: Through efficiency and renewables, an Iowa town moves to become energy independent by 2030. (Midwest Energy News)
***SPONSORED LINK: Midwest Energy News is highlighting 40 Under 40 Midwest-based leaders who are helping accelerate America’s transition to a clean energy economy. The second 2015 40 Under 40 cohort has been revealed, the final list of names will be released tomorrow. ***
COAL:
• More than 200 retired miners, wives and widows in Indiana would lose money set aside for health care coverage as part of a coal company bankruptcy. (ProPublica)
• Former coal baron Don Blankenship goes to trial today, facing up to 30 years in prison for his role in avoiding safety standards that led to miner deaths. (Associated Press)
OIL AND GAS:
• As groups fight over nuclear and coal, a national trade group pushes for more natural gas in Illinois and the Midwest. (EnergyWire)
• A federal judge has blocked the Obama administration’s fracking regulations that apply to federal and tribal land. (New York Times)
• Chesapeake Energy lays off hundreds of employees across the country, including 15 percent of its workforce in Ohio, where it is the state’s biggest oil and gas driller. (Columbus Business First)
• An Ohio commission is expected to release a report soon with recommendations on the state’s oil and gas severance tax. (Associated Press)
FRAC SAND: A county panel in Minnesota votes against a ban on frac sand mining. (LaCrosse Tribune)
OIL BY RAIL:
• Minnesota inspectors only have time to check a small fraction of the rail cars that pass through the state. (Minnesota Public Radio)
• A university in Ohio receives a federal grant to train emergency responders to handle train derailments involving hazardous materials. (Toledo Blade)
WIND: Scientists say offshore wind has been a missed opportunity in the U.S. (Climate Central)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• North Dakota gets a two-year extension to file a state implementation plan. (Bismarck Tribune)
• The Republican architect of the U.S. House’s plan to kill the rules says he will not seek re-election. (E&E Daily)
COMPETITION: A FirstEnergy subsidiary says it is cutting back on offering competitive electric contracts in Pennsylvania. (Utility Dive)
POLLUTION: The EPA imposed new rules Wednesday to limit toxic pollutants from coal plants from entering into waterways. (Associated Press)
PIPELINES:
• TransCanada says it will turn to Nebraska regulators for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. (Reuters)
• North Dakota regulators approve a new pipeline in the state for the company that was responsible for a spill into the Yellowstone River last year. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Opponents speak out against the $3.8 billion Dakota Access project at the start of a two-week hearing. (Associated Press)
EFFICIENCY: An Ohio Air Force base earns $1 million in rebates from its local utility after taking various measures to reduce waste. (Dayton Business Journal)
***SPONSORED LINK: Hear top executives from the area’s RTOs, utilities, transmission developers, and state regulatory agencies discuss and debate critical issues at EUCI’s Transmission Expansion in the Midwest conference November 9-10 in Indianapolis.***
BIOFUELS: Michigan State University and ExxonMobile start a new $1 million partnership to advance the basic science behind algae-based biofuels. (press release)
TECHNOLOGY: How lessons from the University of Michigan’s solar car can help improve the performance of other solar arrays. (Wired)