NOTE TO READERS — Recipients of the 2016 Midwest Energy News 40 Under 40 are being announced this week. Representing energy professionals from business, government, academic, and advocacy sectors, congratulations to today’s group of honorees.
COAL ASH: Advocates are concerned that erosion along an Illinois river could lead to leakage from a nearby coal ash storage site, and a remedy appears to fall within a regulatory gray area. (Midwest Energy News)
TRANSPORTATION: Canton, Ohio will be the first city in the state to roll out a fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
***SPONSORED LINK: Join GTM Oct 25-26 at the U.S. Solar Market Insight Conference, where you will receive exclusive access to industry thought leaders and insights into the U.S. solar industry. Use code MWENERGY15 for 15% off registration.***
CLEAN TECH: A California venture capitalist will be in Minnesota this week to discuss “impact investing” in clean-tech firms that drive positive social change. (Midwest Energy News)
OIL AND GAS:
• A Wisconsin judge rules that a county can’t revisit a permit it granted to Enbridge for an oil-pumping station to add more conditions. (Wisconsin State Journal)
• The CEO of North Dakota’s largest oil producer says an impasse between tribes and the Dakota Access pipeline developer could be resolved through more economic opportunities given to tribes. (Reuters)
• Despite climate risks, utilities across the country are betting big on natural gas infrastructure and generation. (Utility Dive)
POLICY: Another legislative proposal in Ohio would cut the state’s clean energy standards by up to half. (Columbus Business First)
SOLAR: Several major companies in Minnesota are lining up to purchase electricity from community solar projects. (Associated Press)
CLIMATE:
• Experts say the world has perhaps permanently exceeded the atmospheric carbon dioxide threshold of 400 parts-per-million, “never to return below it in our lifetimes.” (Climate Central)
• One of the chief climate change skeptics in Congress wants the White House to provide evidence that global warming is indeed a national security threat. (ClimateWire)
• “Notably absent” from Monday’s presidential debate was a thorough discussion about climate change. (Climate Central)
TRANSMISSION:
• Utilities and transmission companies celebrate the completion of the last section of the CapX2020 project connecting South Dakota and Wisconsin. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
• Utilities in Wisconsin and Iowa are narrowing potential routes for a high-voltage transmission line between the two states. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A USDA grant will help study the feasibility of reusing a retired coal plant site in Minnesota for a waste-to-fuel facility. (Electric Light & Power)
EFFICIENCY: Missouri and Michigan were two of three most-improved states on a new national energy efficiency scorecard. (St. Louis Business Journal)
UTILITIES: Days ahead of a planned public hearing with state regulators, an Ohio utility withdraws a proposed electric reliability fee in exchange for a different “distribution and modernization” charge. (WHIO)
POLITICS: Two U.S. Senate candidates in Wisconsin differ widely on environmental policy, including the Clean Power Plan. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• On the opening day of oral arguments, conservative judges question whether such broad air regulations should be set by Congress. (Greenwire)
• Wisconsin’s solicitor general is among those arguing against the rules before the court. (Wisconsin Law Journal)
***SPONSORED LINK: Join us October 5 in Minneapolis for Trending Green: Understanding Corporate Renewable Procurement in the Midwest. Featuring keynote speaker Adam Kramer of Switch–data center provider and sustainability leader—along with other regional energy thought leaders.***
ELECTRIC CHOICE: Illinois regulators pass new rules requiring alternative electric suppliers to notify customers when rates increase significantly. (WLS-TV)
COMMENTARY: Two former U.S. EPA administrators who served under Republicans “strongly support” the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan. (New York Times)