NUCLEAR: An environmental law group says FirstEnergy’s subsidiaries have not set aside enough decommissioning funds to pay for the shutdown and cleanup of four reactors. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
CLEAN ENERGY: An Ohio construction firm that started out building coal and nuclear plants sees steady growth by emphasizing solar and energy efficiency projects. (Midwest Energy News)
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FRAC SAND: Wisconsin authorities are assessing environmental damage from 10 million gallons of sludge that were released from a frac sand mining settling pond to rescue a worker. (La Crosse Tribune)
COAL: Long-time coal-plant workers in southwestern Ohio are forced to decide whether to leave their communities as plants close. (ProPublica)
RENEWABLES:
• A Missouri city has consistently exceeded its renewable energy goals. (Columbia Missourian)
• An energy analyst notes that a deal for Michigan’s largest utilities to hit higher renewable energy targets lacks penalties for noncompliance. (Platts)
GRID: Projects involving the future of microgrids, electric vehicles and utility regulation in Illinois and Minnesota are among the most cutting-edge energy studies in the U.S. (Utility Dive)
WIND: An Indiana appeals court agrees with state regulators in allowing Duke Energy to recover from ratepayers costs of not fulfilling a wind contract. (RTO Insider)
OIL AND GAS:
• Advocates want Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to take a stand against a planned oil refinery near a national park in North Dakota as he visits the area. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Employees at an oil company failed to report five spills in northwestern North Dakota dating back to October. (Bismarck Tribune)
PIPELINES: Critics say 30-year-old legislation in Minnesota tilted pipeline oversight in favor of industry, leading to clashes today over the Line 3 expansion project. (DeSmog Blog)
SOLAR: Geronimo Energy files plans for a 4 MW solar project in central Illinois. (Bloomington Pantagraph)
BIOMASS: Federal regulators say a Michigan soybean farm with two small biomass plants must register as a qualified facility under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) after not doing so for years. (RTO Insider)
COMMENTARY: The CEO of Indianapolis Power & Light defends the company’s request for higher customer charges, adding that residential rates are already low. (Indianapolis Star)
“The CEO of Indianapolis Power & Light defends the company’s request for higher customer charges, adding that residential rates are already low.”
As someone who has paid IPL utility bills in the past, I can tell you that their rates are considerably higher than what I pay for power in Minnesota. They burn a lot of dirty coal, too.