SOLAR: While having similarities to plans proposed in a few other states, a bill to end net metering in Indiana would give rooftop solar customers “the worst deal in the country,” advocates say. (Midwest Energy News)
ALSO:
• NextEra Energy announces plans for a 100-megawatt solar project adjacent to a nuclear plant it owns in Wisconsin, making it by far the largest solar project in the state. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Proposed legislation in Nebraska would tap a funding source that includes lottery revenue for community solar grants. (Midwest Energy News)
• Cook County in Illinois is more than halfway through a multi-year project to expand community solar opportunities. (WTTW)
• A Michigan state representative from the Upper Peninsula tells local students how solar generation will be key to keeping the region’s energy costs down. (WLUC)
***SPONSORED LINK: Connect with more than 650 of the region’s best and brightest at MEEA’s 2017 Midwest Energy Solutions Conference, February 22-24 in Chicago, featuring unparalleled networking, insightful panels and more. Register today!***
UTILITIES:
• A settlement reached in a case with Dayton Power & Light in Ohio includes closing two coal plants and adding more renewable generation. (Dayton Daily News)
• Ohio-based AEP closes on the sale of three natural gas plants and one coal plant, leaving it with just four plants left in Ohio. (Columbus Business First)
• Despite strong opposition, attorneys make the case for the proposed $12.2 billion merger of Missouri-based Great Plains Energy and Kansas-based Westar Energy. (Associated Press)
CYBERSECURITY: The Iowa Utilities Board plans to seek a public records exemption from the legislature in order to more freely communicate with utilities about cybersecurity. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
WIND:
• Local officials in Michigan’s Thumb region review conflict-of-interest policies involving voting on wind projects if they have turbines on their property. (Huron Daily Tribune)
• With a few months left before Missouri regulators decide on the Grain Belt Express wind energy transmission project, the gap between supporters and opponents continues to widen. (Linn County Leader)
PIPELINES:
• Authorities and Dakota Access protest camp organizers cooperate as cleanup of waste, abandoned cars and structures begins. (Reuters)
• Spawned by the Dakota Access pipeline protests, some North Dakota lawmakers want to double the penalties for participating in large “riots.” (Associated Press)
GRID: Grid operator MISO’s plan to simplify treatment of behind-the-meter generation has “created more questions than it has answered.” (RTO Insider)
OIL AND GAS:
• A newly created utility officially files plans with the state of Michigan to build two new natural gas plants in the Upper Peninsula. (WLUK)
• Ohio Gov. John Kasich proposes a two-year budget that would raise taxes on oil and gas production. (Toledo Blade)
EFFICIENCY: A Wisconsin-based company develops a wireless thermostat that’s meant to better control energy usage. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
CLIMATE:
• The head of President Trump’s EPA transition team says the U.S. will change course on climate policy and pull out of the Paris climate deal. (Reuters)
• Researchers at national energy laboratories are concerned about what the Trump administration will mean for their climate work. (ClimateWire)
OIL BY RAIL: The National Transportation Safety Board is set to release the cause of a 2013 oil train derailment in North Dakota. (KFGO)