CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Backers of a plan to extend a freeze of Ohio’s clean energy standards for three more years say it’s due to the legal uncertainty around the federal Clean Power Plan. (Midwest Energy News)
Groups challenging the Clean Power Plan in federal court say the U.S. EPA is downplaying its “radical” approach to power plant regulation. (EnergyWire)

CLIMATE: An administrative law judge in Minnesota recommends that the state use updated cost-of-carbon estimates that factor in health and societal costs. (Minnesota Public Radio)

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UTILITIES: At the center of the federal challenge to recent utility income-guarantee plans in Ohio is whether the deals will cost or credit ratepayers in the long run. (Toledo Press)

NUCLEAR:
• As state regulators were deciding the fate of the Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Ohio, its owner was already working on a multi-million-dollar upgrade that would get even more years of service out of the plant. (Toledo Blade)
• An Illinois lawmaker warns of “sky high” electric bills if Exelon’s nuclear plants are retired prematurely. (WJBC)

SOLAR: Some Minnesota landowners are concerned about the impact of community solar projects on farmland. (KMSP)

COAL:
• Before its bankruptcy, Peabody Energy was making plans to “right-size” its coal mining operations amid the vastly shrinking industry. (SNL / Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)
Industry officials say U.S. railroad companies are facing an “energy depression” due to low coal, oil and natural gas prices. (Platts)

FRACKING: Researchers in Oklahoma look to use algae to clean and reuse wastewater from fracking operations. (Oklahoman)

CONGRESS: The U.S. Senate hopes to wrap up work on a sweeping, bipartisan energy bill this week. (E&E Daily)

TRANSPORTATION: An Illinois lawmaker backs off a plan that would have taxed motorists by the mile in order to pay for road repairs. (Associated Press)

GRID:
• Federal regulators are seeking input from grid operators on how energy storage can be a part of wholesale energy markets. (RTO Insider)
Grid operator executives say they worry about affordability, reliability and cyber issues as the nation’s energy mix changes. (EnergyWire)

BIOFUELS: A North Dakota ethanol plant surprises its investors by paying off millions of dollars in debt three years early. (Agweek)

COMMENTARY:
• Clean-energy and consumer advocates say utilities should join them in developing 21st-century rate designs. (Utility Dive)
Will Ohio lawmakers remain hostile toward clean-energy development or will they embrace the economic potential of the advanced energy industry? (Advanced Energy Perspectives)
Reducing carbon emissions should come from emissions standards, not renewable portfolio standards. (Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette)

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.

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