OIL AND GAS: The Sierra Club files an antitrust complaint with federal regulators against a proposed natural gas pipeline through Ohio and southeast Michigan, alleging it will raise prices above competitive rates. (Detroit News)
UTILITIES: Ohio-based FirstEnergy continues to seek ratepayer support in order to boost its credit rating. (Midwest Energy News)
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REGULATION: Researchers say Ohio businesses, residents and industries saved $15 billion on electricity between 2011 and 2015 due to the state’s de-regulated market. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
COAL: An Ohio utility is considering closing two coal-fired plants in the southern portion of the state, citing “market-driven financial challenges.” (Dayton Daily News)
GRID: Consumer advocates say grid-reliability upgrades by AEP are not justified by the costs imposed on ratepayers. (Columbus Dispatch)
SOLAR:
• DTE Energy plans to unveil a new 800-kilowatt solar array at a cemetery in southeast Michigan. (MLive)
• Manufacturer First Solar plans to restructure the company to cut costs and develop new products, but it will also cut 450 jobs at an Ohio facility. (Toledo Blade)
• An Illinois family cuts their electric bill by installing solar panels on their property. (Belleville News-Democrat)
PIPELINES:
• The U.S. considers gathering more input from tribes as agencies contemplate projects like the Dakota Access pipeline going forward. (Reuters)
• A North Dakota judge throws out felony charges against several Dakota Access protesters in a case that could foreshadow how others are adjudicated. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Protesters close down streets in Bismarck, North Dakota while demonstrating against the Dakota Access pipeline in front of a bank and a federal building. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Native American tribal leaders’ biennial address to North Dakota lawmakers is cancelled due to concerns that there wouldn’t be enough security presence because of pipeline protests. (Associated Press)
NUCLEAR: The closing of nuclear plants around the country could “significantly undermine U.S. efforts to limit carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.” (EnergyWire)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A California-based EV manufacturer plans to open a research and development facility in southeast Michigan. (Associated Press)
• Tesla and SolarCity shareholders approve a merger between the two companies by a wide margin. (Associated Press)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker wants President-elect Trump to quickly rescind Obama administration orders on greenhouse gas emissions. (Associated Press)
EFFICIENCY: A northern Indiana utility plans to convert streetlights in its service territory to LED bulbs to cut costs; officials in Toledo, Ohio consider a similar initiative. (Associated Press, Toledo Blade)