EFFICIENCY: A new report finds increased energy efficiency measures for low-income households would close the percentage gap between income and energy spending by about one-third. (Midwest Energy News)
CLIMATE: Detroit has taken a “decidedly grassroots approach” to developing the area’s climate action plan. (InsideClimate News)
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WIND:
• A North Dakota electric cooperative enters into a 35-year power purchase agreement for new wind energy, boosting its wind portfolio to nearly 35 percent by 2017. (Associated Press)
• New high-voltage transmission lines in Iowa are helping facilitate the development of two nearby wind projects totaling 500 megawatts. (Sioux City Journal)
• Due to weaker winds, 2015 saw the smallest increase in output nationwide over the prior year since 1999. (Utility Dive)
SOLAR: Milwaukee is expanding its solar group-buying program, resulting in bigger discounts as more homeowners sign up. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
OIL BY RAIL: Iowa agencies release a new study on ways to mitigate oil tanker accidents and improving local emergency response. (The Gazette)
COAL: The U.S. EPA grants one-year extensions to comply with new Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for coal-fired units in Oklahoma, Kansas City and Iowa. (Platts)
FINANCE: In the wake of SunEdison’s bankruptcy, experts say renewable energy companies can still be profitable, but it will take finding investment strategies that work. (New York Times)
OIL AND GAS: State tax revenues in North Dakota were down by nearly $15 million for the month of March mostly due to the declining oil industry. (Associated Press)
UTILITIES: Washington D.C.’s utility consumer advocacy group is asking regulators to reconsider its approval of the Exelon-Pepco merger. (Washington Business Journal)
NUCLEAR:
• Local officials in Illinois begin preparing for when — not if — Exelon’s Clinton nuclear plant will close. (Bloomington Pantagraph)
• Critics say proposed federal legislation to reform nuclear reactor licensing would ultimately handcuff federal regulators. (E&E Daily)
VOLKSWAGEN SCANDAL: The German automaker reports that it lost $6.2 billion last year as a result of cheating on diesel emissions reporting. (New York Times)
COMMENTARY:
• A retired Catholic school teacher in Cleveland views protection against methane pollution “as a spiritual and moral imperative.” (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• Major institutional investors are pulling their support for Ohio utilities that are “clinging stubbornly to coal-fired power plants.” (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)