SOLAR:
• One of Iowa’s major power companies has reversed course and says it will allow net metering on third-party funded projects. (Midwest Energy News)
City officials in Grand Rapids, Michigan hope to have a solar project completed in the next year that will meet most of the needs of the city’s wastewater treatment plant. (MLive)

POLLUTION:
• An interstate commission is considering extending a policy that allows power plants and other industrial polluters to exceed mercury standards when wastewater enters the Ohio River. (Midwest Energy News)
A former U.S. Supreme Court justice calls the High Court’s ruling on mercury and other air toxics in June “truly mind-boggling.” (Greenwire)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join us at the 14th annual Illinois Renewable Energy and Sustainability Fair, August 22 & 23, 2015, at the Ogle County Fairgrounds in Oregon, Illinois. Speakers, exhibits, children’s activities, music, food.***

COAL:
• An Ohio Company is about to start strip mining for coal on nearly 1,000 acres of state property in a wildlife area. (Columbus Dispatch)
Advocates want a Wisconsin utility to better capture air pollutants from coal-ash piles at a major plant before expanding it. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

DEREGULATION: Dynegy’s CEO says Ohio should stay as a deregulated market, claiming other utility executives there merely want to protect profits. (Columbus Business First)

WIND:
• Plans to tap South Dakota’s vast wind energy could face tough community-level fights over aesthetics. (Sioux Falls Argus Leader)
• Kansas is a leader nationwide in wind projects under construction. (Topeka Capital-Journal)

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Kansas lawmakers and advocates dispute the state’s ability to comply with the regulations, while observers say wind will play a key role in getting there. (Associated Press, Topeka Capital-Journal)
Forecasts say wind can play a major role in decreasing U.S. carbon emissions under the plan, but it still faces an uphill battle politically and economically. (EnergyWire)
A VP at a Wisconsin commerce group says the plan is a “recipe for job destruction.” (Madison Capital Times)

METHANE: Anaerobic digestion can be an important way to reduce methane emissions, but it’s yet to catch on around the country. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

CLIMATE:
• Shell Oil will drop its membership with the American Legislative Exchange Council because the group’s view on climate change is “inconsistent” with the company’s. (Washington Post)
New research shows an increased dependence on biofuels to mitigate climate change will cause water shortages. (Phys.org)

POLITICS:
• Hillary Clinton’s rhetoric on her coal-mining roots and prior support for the industry has softened since last campaigning in 2008. (Reuters)
GOP candidates avoid talking about climate change and energy policy in the opening debate. (ClimateWire)

***SPONSORED LINK: Green Your Ride!  The Illinois Solar Energy Association is raffling a 2015 Tesla Model S! Only 2,000 tickets sold. 1 for $100, 4 for $300 www.illinoissolar.org ***

 

EFFICIENCY: A Chicago family’s path to conservation and energy efficiency starts with a passive-house design. (Crain’s Chicago Business)

COMMENTARY:
• How the Clean Power Plan stands to benefit Ohio, if residents reject the fossil-fuel industry’s “fear mongering.” (Crain’s Cleveland Business, Toledo Blade)
Cheap energy, largely due to the fracking boom, is reviving U.S. manufacturing. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

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