POLICY: A new report highlights how states are decoupling their economies from carbon emissions — allowing for growth while reducing emissions — and that states’ roles will be critical amid federal policy uncertainty. (Midwest Energy News)
COAL: Indiana utilities continue to pursue coal plant retirements despite uncertainty over the direction President-elect Donald Trump may take energy policy. (Midwest Energy News)
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OIL SPILL: Officials estimate 4,200 barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline in North Dakota into a tributary, which went undetected by monitoring equipment. (Forum News Service, Associated Press)
CLIMATE:
• Nominating the CEO of ExxonMobil as Secretary of State puts a global oil and gas magnate in charge of climate diplomacy. (InsideClimate News)
• A new state report finds Minnesota will be at increased risk from “mega-rains” and tick-borne diseases, among other impacts, as the climate warms. (Associated Press)
WIND:
• Plans move forward for a 150-turbine wind project in Indiana. (Lafayette Journal & Courier)
• A company is scheduled to pay an Indiana county more than $800,000 for failing to create jobs building wind turbine parts. (Muncie Star Press)
ILLINOIS: A major energy bill signed last week by Gov. Bruce Rauner could serve as a template for other states. (Utility Dive)
MICROGRIDS: Duke Energy is working with Indiana consumer advocates to improve the cybersecurity of microgrids. (Batesville Herald-Tribune)
DIVESTMENT: A new report shows a vast network of organizations have committed to divesting $5.2 trillion in assets from fossil fuel companies. (Climate Central)
EFFICIENCY: Chicago is demonstrating a more efficient street lighting system in seven of the city’s neighborhoods. (CBS Chicago)
SOLAR: An Illinois community is meeting the goals of a program to get more residents to install solar panels. (Jacksonville Journal-Courier)
TRANSITION: A Trump transition team memo seeking the names of federal employees who attended climate change meetings has sent shock waves across the workforce, with one union leader calling it “something like a witch hunt.” (Greenwire)
UTILITIES: Michigan regulators approve the creation of a new Michigan-only electric and gas utility to address longstanding reliability problems in the Upper Peninsula. (Platts)
PIPELINES: Law enforcement officials in North Dakota ask the federal government for help in managing pipeline protests, saying they’ve been “completely and utterly abandoned.” (Associated Press)
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GRID: Regional grid operator PJM approves $260 million in various transmission reliability projects. (RTO Insider)
COMMENTARY: Clashes over the Dakota Access pipeline represent a struggle over physical, economic and political power. (Dallas Morning News)