BIOENERGY: A pair of federal efforts could make it more profitable to turn organic waste from agriculture and other sources into energy by taking advantage of the Renewable Fuel Standard. (Midwest Energy News)
SOLAR:
• A county in eastern Michigan passes a moratorium on new commercial solar development until an ordinance is passed to regulate such projects. (Huron Daily Tribune)
• A solar installation at a library in eastern Michigan is expected to save $50,000 in energy costs over the next decade. (MLive)
***SPONSORED LINK: Smart Cities Technologies in Wisconsin is taking place on June 6 in Milwaukee. Organized by the Midwest Energy Research Consortium and the City of Milwaukee, this workshop will explore how cities like Milwaukee are adopting Smart Cities Technologies. Register before June 2. ***
OIL AND GAS:
• Roughly 100 barrels of oil and saltwater spill at a site in North Dakota after an equipment failure. (Bismarck Tribune)
• North Dakota’s oil and gas regulatory agency defends its deleting of thousands of emails, saying it was not illegal. (Forum News Service)
• An attorney and a state lawmaker are questioning the North Dakota attorney general’s position on an ongoing dispute over mineral rights there. (Forum News Service)
WIND: The CEO of Xcel Energy says the utility has had “no problem with reliability” amid its growing wind portfolio. (SNL)
RATES:
• An Ohio Republican is looking to stop the trend of rising electricity prices there. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• A renewed effort is underway in Ohio to regulate “submeter” companies that resell electricity in apartments and condominiums. (Columbus Dispatch)
RENEWABLES: Developers break ground on the first net-zero residential community in Wisconsin. (Builder Magazine)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: The U.S. EPA is said to be drafting the initial rulemaking to rescind the Clean Power Plan. (E&E News)
EMISSIONS: General Motors is denying allegations in a new lawsuit that its diesel pickup trucks cheat on emissions tests. (Associated Press)
RESEARCH: The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee brings expertise in microgrid research as part of a partnership backed by the National Science Foundation that aims to improve access to energy in the U.S. (Milwaukee Daily Reporter)
COAL:
• Residents hear concerns over a plan to close a coal ash storage pond system in Indiana. (Terre Haute Tribune Star)
• President Trump’s budget proposal calls for cutting funding for carbon capture and sequestration programs by 75 percent. (Climate Central)
COMMENTARY:
• The head of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association looks back on 15 years of growth in the state’s biodiesel industry. (Biodiesel Magazine)
• Advocates look ahead to a process in Illinois to design the “utility of the future.” (Environmental Defense Fund)
CORRECTION: An item in Thursday’s digest incorrectly stated the source of a story on the Department of Energy’s grid study. It appeared in Vox.