RENEWABLES: A new report lists Iowa, Illinois and Ohio as leaders in removing barriers to corporate access to renewable energy. (Midwest Energy News)
SOLAR:
• Minnesota’s solar capacity skyrocketed last year, jumping from 35 megawatts in 2015 to 250 megawatts in 2016. (Minnesota Public Radio)
• Some business owners in South Dakota believe the state’s market for rooftop solar is beginning to change. (Sioux Falls Argus Leader)
• A 7-megawatt solar project begins operating at the site of a former steel manufacturing site in central Indiana. (Kokomo Perspective)
• A Minnesota university continues to expand a solar project first built in 2009. (St. Cloud Times)
***SPONSORED LINK: Connect with more than 650 of the region’s best and brightest at MEEA’s 2017 Midwest Energy Solutions Conference, February 22-24 in Chicago, featuring unparalleled networking, insightful panels and more. Register today!***
OIL AND GAS:
• A Native American tribe whose land accounts for about one-fifth of North Dakota’s oil production threatens to pull out of a revenue-sharing agreement with the state as lawmakers attempt to cut taxes for the industry. (Associated Press)
• A company building a 940-megawatt natural gas plant in northeast Ohio will announce plans for a nearly identical second plant nearby. (Youngstown Vindicator)
WIND:
• A mid-Michigan county enacts a one-year moratorium on new wind projects, stalling a planned 60-turbine project. (MLive)
• The Sierra Club says tapping into Kansas’ wind energy potential could help ease statewide revenue woes. (Lawrence Journal-World)
PIPELINES:
• While it is the target of divestment protests, U.S. Bank’s financial ties to the Dakota Access pipeline are “fuzzy.” (Minnesota Public Radio)
• The cost of policing Dakota Access pipeline protests has exceeded $22 million. (Associated Press)
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: Wisconsin could spend up to $20 million in subsidies for systems that harness energy from animal waste. (Wisconsin State Farmer)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Touring the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Vice President Joe Biden says a majority of vehicles are going to be electric “in the next 10 to 15 years.” (MLive)
COAL:
• Six people are injured following an explosion at a southern Ohio coal plant. (Associated Press)
• Most analysts believe the major front in the “war on coal” lies within the market itself. (Business Insider)
***SPONSORED LINK: Register for CEE’s January 12 forum in St. Paul to hear from Great River Energy, MVEC, MN Rural Electric Association and others about how co-ops are responding to industry shifts in clean energy policies and pricing, customer expectations and infrastructure. ***
HYDRO: Ameren Missouri announces plans to invest $52 million to upgrade a hydroelectric facility in the state. (St. Louis Business Journal)
COMMENTARY: Recent legislative action in Michigan, Illinois and Ohio show that clean energy has support in the Heartland. (Natural Resources Defense Council)