SOLAR: Amid an inquiry by state officials, an Iowa co-op withdraws plans for an additional $57.50 monthly fee on its customers who self-generate power with solar. (Midwest Energy News)
ALSO:
• Solar companies criticize Xcel Energy for a slow rollout of Minnesota’s community solar program. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• Leading solar installer SolarCity produces a study to help utilities and system operators better integrate distributed generation. (Utility Dive)
• Michigan homeowners are upset over a proposal to eliminate net metering. (Michigan Radio)
• An Iowa co-op plans a 30-acre solar project in Des Moines. (KCCI-TV)
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PETCOKE: Activists on Chicago’s Southeast Side team up with hackers to develop a text-message alert system notifying residents when strong winds create conditions for petcoke to spread through the air. (Midwest Energy News)
OIL AND GAS: Ohio continues record-setting shale production despite warnings that falling oil prices will cause the industry to decline. (Columbus Dispatch)
WIND:
• MidAmerican Energy announces two new projects in Iowa, totaling 552 MW. (The Gazette)
• Ohio regulators approve a 60 MW, $120 million project, but uncertainties over financing remain. (Columbus Business First)
OIL: As low prices will likely hold steady through the year, shale companies may finally start breaking under the pressure. (EnergyWire)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: A Minnesota co-op voices support for the Ratepayer Protection Act, a federal policy designed to stall enforcement of the Clean Power Plan. (International Falls Journal)
EMISSIONS: A Missouri utility disputes state regulators’ findings that sulfur dioxide emissions are high around its largest power plant. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
MINNESOTA: Gov. Mark Dayton takes shots at North Dakota when asked about ongoing litigation over coal-generation imports. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
COAL:
• A Canadian utility operator will buy a Cleveland power company and demolish a downtown coal-fired steam plant as it helps transition from coal to natural gas. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• Wisconsin requires We Energies to install control measures at a coal-ash pile it plans to expand. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• FirstEnergy seeking revenue guarantees for struggling coal and nuclear plants shows a utility not adapting to industry changes. (Bloomberg Business)
NUCLEAR: Workers who are decommissioning and cleaning up a former uranium enrichment plant in southern Ohio are again hit with layoff notices. (Associated Press)
RFS: Presidential hopeful and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is quizzed by Iowa residents at a campaign stop over why he supports phasing out the Renewable Fuel Standard. (Radio Iowa)
EFFICIENCY: Saginaw, Michigan plans to borrow money to replace all 6,000 of its streetlights with LEDs. (MLive)
BILLING: The city of Cincinnati accumulates $130,000 in late fees for not paying its Duke Energy bills on time. (WLWT-TV)
COMMENTARY: Michigan Senate Republicans’ energy proposal is a step towards controlling its own future. (Lansing State Journal)