WIND:
• Proposed legislation in South Dakota would spread tax revenue from wind projects across the entire state instead of just local communities, diminishing a key selling point to landowners. (Midwest Energy News)
• Chicago-based Invenergy sets its sights on a roughly 200-megawatt wind project in central Illinois. (Bloomington Pantagraph)

SOLAR:
• The Minnesota attorney general is receiving a wave of complaints over an increasing number of solar garden offers and also from community solar subscribers who “worry they have been ripped off.” (Minnesota Public Radio)
• G
overnment agencies in the Twin Cities join to issue competitive bids for up to 50 megawatts worth of community solar projects. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
Multiple community solar projects are being planned in two southern Minnesota counties. (Faribault Daily News)

*** SPONSORED LINK: Solar Powering Iowa, March 23-24 in Cedar Rapids will be packed with an energizing mix of pre-conference trainings, keynotes, breakout sessions, and networking. Register today!***

PIPELINES:
• Against the developer’s objections, Iowa regulators will allow new evidence — including a series of news stories — to be presented in the case for the Bakken Pipeline project. (The Gazette)
Marathon begins work on installing a replacement oil pipeline beneath a river in southeast Michigan. (Associated Press)

EMISSIONS: The U.S. EPA warns Illinois officials about negative impacts to air quality after the state announced it will temporarily allow license plate renewals without emissions tests. (Associated Press)

COAL: An energy company claims the city of Springfield, Illinois isn’t considering enough options for a new power-purchase agreement. (Fox Illinois)

OIL AND GAS:
• A day after being charged with breaking federal antitrust laws, former Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon dies in a car crash. (Politico)
McClendon’s death clouds the future of a controversial high-end housing development overlooking Lake Michigan. (MLive)

SUPREME COURT:
• A potential Obama Supreme Court nominee has a history of dealing with a variety of energy and conservation cases. (Greenwire)
A White House senior advisor who helped negotiate the Paris climate accord is leading the team responsible for filling the Supreme Court vacancy. (ClimateWire)

*** SPONSORED LINK: The Minnesota Women in Energy series highlights influential women who are part of our state’s energy efficiency and renewable energy industries during Women’s History Month. See interviews here.***

NUCLEAR: Two plants near Toledo, Ohio are operating at limited capacity due to repairs and maintenance. (Toledo Blade)

COMMENTARY: The Sierra Club says proposed federal legislation would endanger communities by blocking long-awaited coal-ash safeguards. (Huffington Post)

Andy compiles the Midwest Energy News digest and was a journalism fellow for Midwest Energy News from 2014-2020. He is managing editor of MiBiz in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was formerly a reporter and editor at City Pulse, Lansing’s alternative newsweekly.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.