EMISSIONS: Researchers say power plants are contributing to harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie each year. (Midwest Energy News)
NET ZERO: Officials in Rochester, Minnesota have plans to make the city as well as a multi-billion-dollar medical center development net zero by 2031. (Midwest Energy News)
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NATURAL GAS:
• In light of the ongoing leak from a storage site in California, Michigan’s environmental agency is looking for better records on underground storage sites across the state. (MLive)
• The Obama administration’s announcement seeking to limit emissions from natural-gas wells on federal and tribal land met with swift resistance from conservatives and industry groups. (Greenwire)
OIL AND GAS:
• Ohio officials still have not drafted rules on a variety of issues related to fracking that they promised to work on nearly two years ago. (Columbus Dispatch)
• Officials in one North Dakota town hope to build an economically sustainable community after the recent boom in oil jobs. (Los Angeles Times)
OHIO:
• As hearings on FirstEnergy’s income-guarantee request wind down, it could still be months until Ohio regulators make a final decision. (Utility Dive)
• The fate of AEP’s operations in Ohio is unclear if the company’s income-guarantee request is rejected. (Columbus Business First)
RENEWABLES: Advocates are pushing for a clean energy “revolution” in Wisconsin that depends more on smaller, localized generation projects. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
WIND: An Illinois lawmaker wants state and federal courts to rule against a company looking to use eminent domain to build a clean-energy transmission line through the state. (Madison Record)
SOLAR: Local police in Minnesota issue an alert to residents about a door-to-door solar salesman using “unscrupulous business practices” claiming to help lower bills. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
CLIMATE: A Minnesota researcher says the western part of the state’s agricultural base, wide open spaces, and wind and solar resources can help reduce emissions in light of a global climate agreement. (West Central Tribune)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Legal experts say the Obama administration got “lucky” with the panel of judges that will decide the fate of the Clean Power Plan, based on their past support for the environment. (Greenwire)
• Industry groups vow to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court a ruling last week rejecting an effort to halt the rules. (ClimateWire)
COAL:
• A coal-plant engineer in North Dakota acts as a conduit for energy companies in China looking to deploy cleaner burning technologies. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Following Peabody Energy’s decision to sell its stake in the Prairie State Energy Campus, ratepayers in Cleveland are still on the hook for paying some of its construction costs. (Newsnet 5)
• A mine in North Dakota plans to lay off nearly 100 workers by the end of April. (Bismarck Tribune)
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REGULATION:
• The last remaining Republican on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will step down when his term ends on June 30. (EnergyWire)
• Major utilities in Ohio seek more regulation over companies that resell power. (Columbus Dispatch)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The Chicago Transit Authority will add roughly two dozen electric buses to its fleet. (WLS-TV)