COAL: Residents in a Chicago neighborhood seek greater protection from air pollution as officials prepare to remediate a coal plant that closed seven years ago. (Energy News Network)
PIPELINES:
• An unsupported section of the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac exceeds the 75-foot limit under an easement with the state of Michigan, putting it at higher risk for erosion and rupture. (Detroit News)
• A county board in northwestern Michigan delays a resolution in support of a tunnel project for Line 5. (Interlochen Public Radio)
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RENEWABLES: Some Midwest electric cooperatives remain hesitant to embrace renewables over more expensive coal generation, though most likely for political than economic reasons. (Utility Dive)
FRAC SAND: Wisconsin officials investigate whether a frac sand mine spill that discolored a nearby river released toxic metals. (Wisconsin State Journal)
TRANSPORTATION: The CEO of Ford says the company was an automobile pioneer long before Tesla and is better equipped to ramp up production of electric and autonomous vehicles. (CNN)
OIL & GAS: Environmental groups ask the North Dakota Supreme Court to require state regulators to further review plans for an oil refinery near Theodore Roosevelt National Park. (Bismarck Tribune)
GRID: Michigan’s top energy regulator outlines a report for lawmakers on how utilities can bolster grid reliability. (WWMT)
CLIMATE:
• The city council in Iowa City unanimously votes to declare a climate change crisis and steadily reduce the city’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• The leader of a project showcasing 100 climate change solutions says climate change “may be the single biggest business opportunity in human history.” (Forbes)
BIOGAS: Officials celebrate the opening of a renewable natural gas project in eastern Nebraska. (Columbus Telegram)
WIND: Wind power plays a key role in Alliant Energy’s plan to cut carbon emissions 80% by 2050. (North American Windpower)
COMMENTARY:
• The Sierra Club says a new analysis shows nearly all of Duke Energy’s coal portfolio is unprofitable, putting customers and shareholders at risk. (Sierra Club)
• The leader of a trade group representing Minnesota gas stations says failing to replace aging fossil fuel infrastructure is naive and will not quell demand for oil. (MinnPost)