RENEWABLES: Clean energy advocates want Ohio utility regulators to investigate why utilities paid roughly 70 percent more on average for each renewable energy credit than competitive suppliers spent in 2015. (Midwest Energy News)
NUCLEAR:
• Ohio lawmakers have introduced a “bailout” bill to save two FirstEnergy nuclear plants that would impose an “unspecified increase in monthly electric bills” for customers with a nuclear plant in their service territory. (Toledo Blade)
• Michigan regulators will hold two public meetings next month in southwest Michigan as they consider a proposal to shut down the Palisades nuclear plant early. (MLive)
• Consumers Energy is considering buying one or more natural gas plants to replace the generation from the Palisades plant. (Michigan Radio)
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SOLAR:
• Suniva issues 59 layoff notices at its facility in Saginaw, Michigan, where the company’s future is uncertain. (MLive)
• An Indiana-based power company plans three solar projects in Indiana, Illinois and Missouri totaling 1.8 megawatts. (Kokomo Tribune)
• A Minnesota community moves forward with plans for a 7.5 MW community solar project. (Granite Falls Advocate Tribune)
OIL TRAINS: A review of federal safety inspections shows thousands of defects found on oil train routes across the country. (Associated Press)
UTILITIES: A new report says U.S. and Canadian utilities spent nearly $9 billion on energy efficiency and demand response in 2015. (Utility Dive)
STORAGE: A Michigan-based battery storage manufacturer is recognized as one of the top 50 businesses to watch in the state. (Midland Daily News)
PIPELINES: Two Democratic U.S. Senators want more details from the Army Corps of Engineers on its decision that ultimately paved the way to complete construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. (Associated Press)
COAL:
• Executives at major U.S. utilities say President Trump’s effort to revive the coal industry makes little difference to them as they plan to scale back coal-fired generation. (New York Times)
• Peabody Energy, just recently emerged from bankruptcy, plans a more modest return to the sector with a focus on shareholder returns rather than growing volume. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• Some major U.S. coal companies want the Trump administration to stay with the Paris climate agreement as a way to protect their global interests. (Reuters)
GRID: Michigan-based DTE Energy is planning major investments to improve grid reliability following a storm last month that caused widespread outages. (WWJ)
COMMENTARY:
• An Iowa-based attorney explains the complexities of using eminent domain in the context of pipeline development. (Dubuque Telegraph Herald)
• A national advocacy group says natural gas — not wind power — is the primary cause of the coal sector’s troubles. (Into the Wind blog)
• Student activists at Ohio State University are critical of the school’s plan to privatize energy services, saying the deal is “all about the money.” (The Lantern)