PIPELINES: TransCanada proposes another cross-border pipeline, this time to carry oil from North Dakota into Canada. (Forum News Service)
ALSO:
• A North Dakota tribe establishes a spirit camp to protest a proposed oil pipeline. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Kansas regulators consider a utility surcharge to help cover costs of updating natural gas infrastructure. (Topeka Capital-Journal)
• A proposed Wisconsin oil pipeline has not been an issue in the presidential campaign there. (Madison Capital Times)
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TRANSMISSION: It is not yet clear whether the Department of Energy’s support of Clean Line transmission projects will override the opposition of Missouri regulators. (Hannibal Courier-Post)
OHIO: Opponents and proponents react to Ohio regulators’ decision to approve income guarantees for two utilities’ power plants. (Columbus Business First)
COAL:
• Operators of an Illinois mine plan to seal it off in an effort to extinguish an underground fire that has burned for more than a year. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• An environmental group’s poll finds strong community support for retiring an Illinois coal plant. (Lake County News-Sun)
GRID:
• Michigan’s second-largest utility partners with a state university on an energy storage pilot project. (Midwest Energy News)
• Missouri lawmakers advance a utility-backed bill intended to incentivize grid upgrades. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
SOLAR:
• A USDA grant helps an Ohio brewery install solar panels. (Columbus Business First)
• A Minnesota “speed dating” event helps consumers connect with community solar developers. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• An Iowa municipal utility plans a new community solar project. (KIMT)
UTILITIES:
• A Michigan utility is developing a program to help meet large customers’ interest in renewable energy. (MiBiz)
• Kansas regulators approve a utility’s request to raise residential and school transmission charges while cutting rates for businesses. (Wichita Eagle)
NUCLEAR: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signs a bill lifting the state’s ban on new nuclear plants. (Associated Press)
OIL BY RAIL: A Minnesota bill would require greater transparency from railroads about their disaster response plans. (Minnesota Public Radio)
CLEAN ENERGY: A Wisconsin campus becomes the first university in the state to source 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. (Stevens Point Journal)
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EFFICIENCY: Madison, Wisconsin competes for a $50 million energy efficiency prize. (Wisconsin State Journal)
COMMENTARY: Ohio regulators’ approval of utility “bailout” requests is a “betrayal” of ratepayers and an example of “no fault capitalism” for utilities. (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, Power Magazine)