UTILITIES:
• How a dispute over demand charges – a fixed fee based on a homeowner’s peak usage – has become central to the debate over energy legislation in Illinois. (Midwest Energy News)
• FirstEnergy’s CEO reflects on the company’s weakened financial position. (Crain’s Cleveland Business)
OIL AND GAS:
• Why North Dakota may have seen its last oil boom. (EnergyWire)
• Illinois’ attorney general reaches a settlement with operators of a refinery over contamination of the Mississippi River. (St. Louis Business Journal)
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PIPELINES: Supporters of the Dakota Access pipeline protests use Facebook check-ins to try to confuse law enforcement. (InsideClimate News)
NUCLEAR: Federal data show natural gas is currently taking up most of the slack as nuclear plants retire. (Greentech Media)
OHIO: In a wide-ranging interview, Gov. John Kasich reiterates that he’ll resists efforts by lawmakers to weaken or repeal the state’s renewable energy standards. (Columbus Dispatch)
SOUTH DAKOTA: A Lakota solar advocate and an incumbent public utility commissioner meet face to face in a public forum to discuss the state’s PUC race. (Watertown Public Opinion)
CLIMATE: How Detroit climate activists are planning for a warmer city. (Model D Media)
GRID: A Michigan utility says it will complete smart meter installations by the end of this year, ahead of schedule. (MLive)
COAL: A Minnesota fertilizer plant, supplied by by-products from Ohio coal plant scrubbers, shuts down amid low demand. (Winona Daily News)
TECHNOLOGY: A state grant will help a Minnesota tribe train workers in the solar field. (Brainerd Dispatch)
TRANSMISSION: A series of public hearings will be held this week on a proposed transmission line connecting Madison and Dubuque. (Wisconsin State Journal)
BIOENERGY: Operators of a biodigester in a Sioux City suburb reach an agreement with neighbors over odor issues. (Sioux City Journal)
POLITICS: Voting to increase gasoline taxes appears to be “a non-issue” for state legislators seeking re-election this year. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
COMMENTARY: Clean energy presents new opportunities for communities when coal plants shut down. (St. Cloud Times)