OHIO: An Ohio utility revises its proposal for income guarantees for its coal plants after an earlier version was rejected by state regulators. (Columbus Dispatch)
ALSO: The controversy over the utility plans, which opponents characterize as “bailouts,” is just the latest to involve Ohio’s Davis-Besse nuclear plant. (Columbus Dispatch)
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COAL:
• Illinois lawmakers declare war on “garbage coal” from Wyoming, saying the state’s power plants should be fueled locally. (EnergyWire)
• FirstEnergy shareholders plan to protest the utility’s reliance on coal today. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• InsideClimate News launches a series on the decline of the coal industry.
UTILITIES:
• A Wisconsin utility is pursuing another increase in fixed charges. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• How a Minnesota co-op has managed to keep energy prices low. (Utility Dive)
SOLAR:
• Another Minnesota co-op offers community solar to its members. (St. Cloud Times)
• The developer of Nebraska’s first large-scale solar farm is changing tactics in hope of receiving faster approval. (Lincoln Journal Star)
GRID: An Indiana utility plans a $25 million energy storage facility. (Indianapolis Business Journal)
OIL AND GAS:
• Federal regulators issue a warning about toxic airborne chemicals at drilling sites following the deaths of nine workers in North Dakota and elsewhere. (Associated Press)
• A new documentary explore the deaths of more than 50 North Dakota oil field workers since 2008. (Minnesota Public Radio)
PIPELINES: A former Iowa legislator is arrested in a protest at the governor’s office against a proposed oil pipeline. (Radio Iowa)
FRAC SAND: A frac sand facility in Wisconsin will lay off 30 workers as it slows down production this summer. (La Crosse Tribune)
MICHIGAN: The state’s new energy agency began operations Monday. (MLive)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• FERC wants climate rules to include a “safety valve” to ensure grid reliability. (The Hill)
• A new study finds energy efficiency will be the lowest-cost way to meet Clean Power Plan targets. (Washington Post)
COMMENTARY: Why wood pellets aren’t a climate solution, at least not in the short-term. (Forbes)