NOTE TO READERS: Midwest Energy News is taking a break for Thanksgiving. We’ll return on Monday, November 28.
RENEWABLES:
• Planned renewable energy development in Minnesota will benefit mostly conservative, rural areas of the state that voted for Donald Trump. (Midwest Energy News)
• A new aggregation deal for nearly half a million northeast Ohio ratepayers calls for half of the electricity to come from or be offset by renewables. (Midwest Energy News)
ILLINOIS: Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration weighs in on a proposed massive energy bill, saying it will raise rates on residents and businesses too much and not guarantee that struggling nuclear plants will remain open long enough. (Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago Business)
***SPONSORED LINK: Exhibit or sponsor to connect to thousands of attendees regarding renewable energy and sustainability at The Energy Fair, June 16-18 in Custer, WI and coming soon to Saint Paul, MN September, 2017. Exhibitor registration opens November 30.***
CLEAN ENERGY:
• A Georgetown Climate Center report highlights Minnesota and Michigan as two Midwest “success stories” that can be models for others in developing clean energy. (Midwest Energy News)
• EPA chief Gina McCarthy is confident that President-elect Trump will not roll back progress on clean energy: “The inevitability of our clean energy future is bigger than any one person or nation.” (Associated Press)
WIND: A Minnesota utility plans a $250 million, 150-megawatt wind project in North Dakota. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
COAL: Canada plans to phase out coal power by 2030, accelerating existing measures “as its top trading partner moves in the opposite direction.” (Toronto Star)
STORAGE: Federal regulators plan a sweeping rule that would require regional grid operators to allow energy storage facilities bigger than 100 kilowatts to participate in capacity markets. (RTO Insider)
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: Local officials order the shutdown of a biodigester facility in Michigan following complaints from residents about odors. (MLive)
PIPELINES: A small group of Dakota Access pipeline protesters in Iowa begin a hunger strike to try and convince state regulators to reverse course on issuing permits for the project. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
CLIMATE: Exxon Mobil claims the Rockefeller family is “masterminding a conspiracy against it” as the company faces allegations that is has tried for decades to undercut climate science. (New York Times)
EFFICIENCY: As more U.S. cities transition to LEDs for street lighting, the American Medical Association warns some varieties can disrupt sleep patterns. (NPR)
COMMENTARY: Indiana coal miners hoping a Trump presidency will bring a resurgence in industry jobs “may find themselves sorely disappointed.” (Terre Haute Tribune Star)