RENEWABLES:
• Advocates say a new study from an Ohio conservative group calling for repeal of the state’s clean energy standards relies on outdated assumptions. (Midwest Energy News)
• St. Cloud, Minnesota is a leader in the state for using renewable energy to cut utility bills and meet sustainability goals. (Minnesota Public Radio)
PIPELINES: Native Americans and their allies hold rallies in Washington D.C. to protest the Trump administration’s increased focus on pipeline development. (Associated Press)
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BIOFUELS: An ethanol-fueled fire in Iowa at the site of rural train derailment is still burning nearly 36 hours after it erupted. (Associated Press)
EMISSIONS: Volkswagen pleads guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice and agrees to pay a $4.3 billion penalty for programming vehicles to cheat U.S. emissions tests. (Associated Press)
COAL: Four Peabody Energy investors file a lawsuit alleging they have been treated unfairly by the company and other parties under a bankruptcy reorganization plan. (Reuters)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: States across the country are taking steps to eliminate incentives for buying electric vehicles, concerning some about the potential for stifling the market. (New York Times)
ADVOCACY: A longtime energy reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is leaving the paper to head a utility consumer advocacy group. (Milwaukee Business Journal)
POLITICS:
• An Illinois congressman is among a growing number of Republicans on the House Climate Solutions Caucus. (E&E News)
• A recently removed Department of Energy appointee was a Trump supporter and massage therapist with no apparent background in energy. (Greentech Media)
• Budget experts say the Trump administration’s spending cuts could hit the Energy Department hard. (E&E News)
SOLAR: Some Wisconsin students spend their spring break installing a solar project in Colorado. (KKCO)
COMMENTARY:
• The Bismarck Tribune says there is “room in North Dakota for both coal and wind power.”
• The Toledo Blade says Ohio lawmakers should reject a plan to give FirstEnergy zero-emissions credits for its nuclear plants should legislation surface.
• A solar business owner says a recent ruling by Iowa regulators on net metering in a utility’s service territory will “strangle Iowa’s solar industry and hurt Iowa’s families and businesses.” (Cedar Rapids Gazette)