GRID: Illinois regulators hope to partner with utilities to address growing concern about the security of information and digital assets in the smart-grid era. (Midwest Energy News)
ADVOCACY: A coalition of clean energy businesses in Minnesota is formed to lobby state lawmakers about the importance of the growing sector and to strengthen existing policies. (Midwest Energy News)
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SOLAR:
• St. Paul, Minnesota signs an agreement to power one-fourth of its municipal buildings through community solar gardens. (Pioneer Press)
• An advocacy group provides free solar-powered street lighting to residents and businesses near Detroit. (Detroit Free Press)
• The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota is selected to compete in a U.S. Department of Energy program that aims to bring solar energy to low-income families. (Bemidji Pioneer)
• The city of Evansville, Indiana is looking to partner with a developer on a $5.5 million solar project. (Inside Indiana Business)
NUCLEAR:
• Officials with major renewable energy companies say subsidies to keep open unprofitable nuclear plants risk flooding the grid with excess power and drive down demand for new solar and wind. (Bloomberg)
• Illinois Congressman John Shimkus wants stalled plans for Yucca Mountain revived, saying it has cost taxpayers in the state billions of dollars since the idea was first conceived. (Southern Illinoisan)
CLEAN ENERGY: A Minneapolis baseball stadium receives an upgraded LEED status for its various clean energy efforts. (Finance & Commerce)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tesla plans to ramp up the number of supercharger stations installed in Michigan for its vehicles. (Bloomberg)
OIL AND GAS:
• A pipeline in North Dakota leaks, spilling an estimated 25 barrels of crude oil and brine — an unknown amount has impacted about 14 miles of a tributary of the Little Missouri River. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Some grid officials speaking at a PJM-focused conference say there needs to be more focus on gas pipeline routes within the service territory. (RTO Insider)
• Local residents express concerns over the potential for noise, emissions, water use and financing as an Illinois town considers tax breaks for a planned natural gas plant. (State Journal-Register)
EMISSIONS: A federal appeals court grants the Trump administration’s request to delay a decision on Obama-era pollution rules for mercury and other air toxins. (Associated Press)
CLIMATE: Organizers for a climate march across Iowa say they are encountering a spectrum of opposition to their cause, but also some common ground. (WHO-TV)
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COAL: Various elected officials discuss the future of coal production in southern Illinois, with some hoping to “at least maintain the coal-fired power plants that we have.” (Southern Illinoisan)
COMMENTARY:
• An Ohio-based consumer advocacy group says state regulators should reject requests from major utilities to hike fixed charges — an AEP official says otherwise. (Columbus Dispatch)
• The mayor of Duluth, Minnesota sets an aggressive path to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. (Duluth News Tribune)