UTILITIES: Clean energy groups and officials in Madison, Wisconsin begin working with the local utility to move forward on the city’s goal to power its operations by 100 percent clean energy. (Midwest Energy News)
GRID:
• Ohio regulators continue hearings this week to seek input on statewide grid modernization improvements. (Midwest Energy News)
• A new report commissioned by Congress says the U.S. grid is vulnerable to cyberattacks and natural disasters and calls on the Department of Energy to play a bigger role in coordinating with grid operators. (Morning Consult)
WIND: An offshore wind project in Lake Erie moves closer to state-level approval. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
EMISSIONS: Coal plants in Indiana and Ohio are among three dozen singled out in a potential lawsuit against the U.S. EPA by the state of Maryland over smog-inducing emissions drifting over state lines. (Washington Post)
BIOFUELS:
• A U.S. Senate committee will not vote this week on legislation that would have allowed higher ethanol concentrations in some gasoline due to a lack of support. (The Hill)
• Gasoline prices in Illinois could increase 7 to 10 cents per gallon after the state’s latest budget eliminates a 20 percent tax exemption on ethanol blends. (Watchdog.org)
SOLAR:
• An Akron, Ohio-based company receives a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to design and test a new solar-plus-storage system. (Crain’s Cleveland Business)
• An Ohio city wants to study the feasibility of installing solar panels at its wastewater treatment plant. (Coshocton Tribune)
• A Michigan school district is installing solar panels on nearly all of its existing buildings in an effort to go off the grid. (WWMT)
• City officials in Lincoln, Nebraska approve a homeowners association’s 100 kW solar array amid concerns over impact on wetlands. (Lincoln Journal Star)
• Solar companies are growing increasingly anxious over the prospect of a tariff placed on imported panels. (Reuters)
PIPELINES:
• Two Iowa political activists admit to vandalizing the Dakota Access pipeline and causing millions of dollars in damage. (WHO-TV)
• The Michigan Chamber of Commerce supports the ongoing operation of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac, but clean energy groups say a recent alternatives analysis is flawed. (Associated Press)
• North Dakota regulators scrutinize plans to upgrade and expand a refined fuels pipeline in order to meet increased diesel demand. (Bismarck Tribune)
UTILITIES: Minnesota workplace safety officials are investigating an incident at Xcel Energy’s Sherco plant last week that injured three employees. (St. Cloud Times)
EFFICIENCY: Clean energy groups want federal energy regulators to determine whether states can control energy efficiency resources in different grid territories. (RTO Insider)
CLIMATE: A local official in Wisconsin proposes the city stay on course with goals outlined under the Paris climate agreement. (Appleton Post-Crescent)