WIND: As has been the case in Ohio, advocates are concerned that new setback requirements will restrict wind development in Poland. (Midwest Energy News)
COAL:
• A federal bankruptcy judge says Peabody Energy can still face mine reclamation requirements as it moves through bankruptcy. (Midwest Energy News)
• A “finite number” of potential buyers are interested in FirstEnergy’s coal generation assets in Ohio. (SNL / Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)
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UTILITIES:
• Ohio regulators continue taking testimony on a third rate plan filed by FirstEnergy that would have customers pay $393 million to shore up the utility’s credit rating. (Toledo Blade)
• An administrative law judge says ratepayers in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula should get at least a $17 million refund for costs associated with keeping a coal plant open there. (WJMN-TV)
OIL AND GAS:
• An Iowa family attends a condemnation hearing for their property that would be taken for the Dakota Access oil pipeline. (WHO-TV)
• A towering concrete stack at the site of a former coal plant in Ohio will come down as part of ongoing efforts to build an ethane cracker plant there. (Columbus Business First)
• Consol Energy says it will resume gas drilling in the Utica and Marcellus shales after stopping last year in the face of low prices. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
HYDRO: Federal regulators and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agree to streamline the planning process for developing new hydropower at the Corps’ federal facilities. (Transmission & Distribution World)
NUCLEAR: The U.S. nuclear industry has been in “survival mode” since 2012 when operating costs began to jump and natural gas became cheaper. (EnergyWire)
CLIMATE: The U.S. EPA reaches a “key milestone” by declaring that aircraft emissions contribute to climate change, allowing the agency to work to cut emissions from the sector. (Climate Central)
GRID: Federal regulators direct the North American Electric Reliability Corp. to develop a new infrastructure protection standard to protect against cyberattacks. (Smart Grid News)
OIL BY RAIL: Canada will take old oil rail cars out of service earlier than planned as part of a broader move to strengthen safety standards for the industry. (Reuters)
VOLKSWAGEN SCANDAL: A federal judge “appears inclined to approve” the proposed $15 billion settlement over the automaker’s cheating on emissions reporting. (Associated Press)