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)