NOTE TO READERS: Midwest Energy News will be taking a break for Independence Day. We will return on Tuesday, July 7.
EQUITY: Advocates say clean energy and efficiency programs for low-income households can help address the energy burden disproportionately faced by African Americans while providing multiple benefits for utilities and customers. (Energy News Network)
WIND:
• Tension over wind development in North Dakota’s coal country surfaces during a public hearing over a county’s moratorium on wind development in place until 2022. (Bismarck Tribune)
• An AEP subsidiary signs a long-term power purchase agreement for the output of a 400 MW wind project in central Illinois. (North American Windpower)
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PIPELINES:
• A Michigan judge allows Enbridge to temporarily restart a segment of the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac to perform an in-line investigation and provide results to the state. (Detroit News)
• Residents speak out against Enbridge’s plan to reroute a segment of Line 5 in northern Wisconsin, with one saying: “It’s all risk and no reward for the people of Wisconsin.” (Wisconsin State Journal)
• Ohio regulators fined Dominion Energy $1 million for a natural gas pipeline explosion in November, citing a lack of oversight and poor construction practices. (Cleveland.com)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Home builders partner with an energy cooperative in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to build the city’s first “electric vehicle ready” community where new houses are equipped with an EV charger. (WQOW)
FRAC SAND: A Wisconsin frac sand producer files for bankruptcy as the pandemic and resulting shock to oil markets continue to put pressure on the industry. (Wisconsin State Journal)
SOLAR:
• A northeastern Ohio school district expects to save at least $30,000 a year in electricity costs with the installation of a solar project later this summer. (WFMJ)
• A solar group-buying program is returning to Evansville, Indiana for a second year due to strong demand. (Evansville Courier & Press)
GRID: An eastern Michigan electric cooperative receives a $26.5 million loan from the USDA to finance grid infrastructure improvements over the next five years. (Huron Daily News)
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COAL:
• The site of a former Consumers Energy coal plant in western Michigan is repurposed as an expanded shipping port. (MLive)
• Murray Energy reaches a settlement with affiliate Foresight Energy to resolve claims ahead of their bankruptcy proceeding. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)
COMMENTARY: The head of the Indiana Conservative Alliance for Energy says making the case for clean energy is “rapidly becoming a no-brainer” as more utilities announce a transition from coal. (Evansville Press & Courier)