PIPELINES: The Keystone pipeline is shut down after a leak is discovered at a South Dakota pumping station. (Sioux Falls Argus Leader)
ALSO:
• A Minnesota regulator will not be disciplined after an investigation finds emails contained “poorly chosen words” rather than advocacy against a proposed pipeline project. (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
• Iowa landowners are growing increasingly upset over what they call the premature construction of the Bakken Access pipeline. (WHO-TV)
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OHIO: One analyst predicts the income-guarantee for AEP in Ohio will lead the utility to sell off 5 gigawatts of generation not covered under the power purchase agreement. (RTO Insider)
INDIANA: Taxpayers will be on the hook for $160,000 to fight an open-records request for correspondence related to a failed solar bill. (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)
SOLAR:
• Illinois completes a plan for buying up to $30 million in solar energy in an effort to boost the industry in the state. (Crain’s Chicago Business)
• Minnesota-based Andersen Corporation signs agreements for 18 MW of community solar. (news release)
COAL:
• Ohio provides a snapshot for coal’s declining share of generation, down to 59 percent of the state’s portfolio in 2015 from 82 percent in 2010. (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)
• The “worsening financial crisis” for major U.S. coal companies is sparking fears that taxpayers could be on the hook for billions in mine cleanup costs. (Washington Post)
POLLUTION: Michigan regulators reject proposed changes to air permit rules that would have limited the chemicals that the state oversees. (Associated Press)
HYDRO: A northern Minnesota county prepares to begin importing electricity through a new transmission line from hydro dams in Manitoba. (ClimateWire)
OIL: North Dakota’s rig count falls below 30, down from a high of 207 in 2012. (UPI)
UTILITIES: Going with alternative suppliers has cost Ohio natural gas customers more than $1 billion since 1997, according to a regulatory filing. (Columbus Dispatch)
GRID: Ameren Missouri will spend $25 million to upgrade its electric infrastructure in downtown St. Louis. (St. Louis Business Journal)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Transportation officials in the Twin Cities look to add five electric-powered buses to a regional agency’s fleet. (Finance & Commerce)
EFFICIENCY: The Iowa State Capitol building is testing new LED lighting that officials hope will eventually pay for itself. (WHO-TV)
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POLITICS: A guest lecturer at the University of Michigan says fossil fuels have environmental benefits. (Michigan Review)
COMMENTARY: Lost in the shuffle of the Ohio “bailout” cases is a pledge by FirstEnergy to cut carbon emissions 90 percent by 2045. (Akron Beacon Journal)