OHIO:
• During the first day of testimony, FirstEnergy reveals that if costs increase over the next 15 years at its two struggling plants, ratepayers would be on the hook to pay the extra bills with little input from regulators. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• FirstEnergy tries to ban filmmakers from recording the hearing. (Columbus Business First)
• FirstEnergy is trying to succeed where AEP failed. (Columbus Business First)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Complying with federal rules will impact the debate over how Ohio moves forward with its renewable and efficiency standards freeze. (Midwest Energy News)
• Michigan officials plan to announce the state’s initial review of the plan today. (Michigan Radio)
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WIND:
• Kansas researchers report in a new study that higher-concentrated wind farms will produce less and less electricity per turbine. (Phys.org)
• MISO projects wind capacity will rise 50 percent by the end of 2019, and it’s going to be “a lot bigger” due to the Clean Power Plan. (RTO Insider)
EFFICIENCY: MidAmerican Energy starts the conversion of 100,000 streetlights to LED in cities and towns across Iowa. (Sioux City Journal)
MERGER:
• Concern over Washington D.C. ratepayers getting swallowed up by a larger corporate structure led regulators to reject the proposed $6.4 billion Exelon/Pepco merger. (SNL)
• However, the two sides vow to complete the deal. (Chicago Tribune)
CLIMATE: President Obama issues dire warnings to act quickly on climate change while in Alaska. (New York Times)
COAL: Officials are still holding out hope for the mothballed FutureGen clean-coal project in Illinois. (Jacksonville Journal Courier)
WASTE TO ENERGY: Two companies announce plans for a 4 MW landfill gas facility in Indiana. (Renewable Energy from Waste)
SOLAR:
• A Michigan company is bringing an updated version of its rooftop solar shingles to the market early next year. (MLive)
• A campaign to bring more solar energy to coal-dependent Louisville gains steam. (Louisville Courier Journal)
OZONE: The EPA sends its proposed ozone-reduction plan for final review. (The Business Journals)
BIOFUELS:
• A Minnesota ethanol plant receives a $750,000 grant to increase its efficiency. (Morris Sun Tribune)
• A massive fire erupts at a Missouri biodiesel plant over the weekend. (KCTV)
OIL AND GAS:
• A well in North Dakota leaked 550 barrels of crude oil over the weekend. (Reuters)
• Small rail operators are getting an economic boost by hosting idle, unused oil tank cars. (Reuters)
• Protesters rally at a southwest Iowa farm against eminent domain and the Dakota Access Pipeline. (Radio Iowa)
COMMENTARY:
• A utility industry spokesman says the Clean Power Plan will harm reliability and increase costs — and any climate action plan should have been worked out in Congress. (MLive)
• How the Clean Power Plan will benefit northern Minnesota’s economy. (Duluth News Tribune)