KEYSTONE XL: In an abrupt move, TransCanada asks the Obama administration to suspend its review of the project, which clean-energy advocates denounced as a bid to avoid a near-certain rejection. (New York Times)
RENEWABLES:
• A Stanford researcher says Michigan could meet 100 percent of its energy needs from renewables. (Michigan Radio)
• The next political battle over renewable energy is ramping up in Illinois. (Madison Record)
• A statewide ballot initiative moves forward in Ohio that would ask voters to approve issuing $1.3 billion in bonds for clean-energy development. (Columbus Dispatch)
***SPONSORED LINK: Hear top executives from the area’s RTOs, utilities, transmission developers, and state regulatory agencies discuss and debate critical issues at EUCI’s Transmission Expansion in the Midwest conference November 9-10 in Indianapolis.***
SOLAR:
• A Minnesota group is a case study on the challenges of bringing community solar to a rural area and garnering support from residents who may not understand the concept. (Midwest Energy News)
• Scientists show that expanding the amount of large solar arrays may affect the local climate more than previously thought. (Washington Post)
• Some businesses embrace community solar in Minnesota as a way to lock in long-term energy prices. (Finance & Commerce)
WIND: A Canadian company aims to start construction in late 2016 or early 2017 on a 200 MW wind project in Ohio. (Renews)
RATES:
• Consumer advocates are opposed to Xcel Energy’s request for a 9.8 percent rate increase over three years to help pay for infrastructure and clean-energy investments. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• Minnesota researchers have developed an online calculator to determine whether it’s cost effective to go solar. (CBS Minnesota)
• An Indiana court blocks a utility from passing on to ratepayers the $90 million cost of pollution-control upgrades on aging coal plants because the work was done without proper approvals. (Reuters)
SMART METERS: Officials in an eastern Michigan city are recommending a $9 monthly fee on remaining residents who have not installed smart meters on their property. (MLive)
POLLUTION: We Energies seeks a variance from the state for the amount of arsenic it is allowed to discharge into Lake Michigan from one of its plants. (Racine County Eye)
PIPELINES:
• Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad says he will allow state regulators to decide on whether a company can use eminent domain for a major pipeline project, adding that the practice should be used “only very sparingly.” (The Gazette)
• Several pipeline protesters were arrested after refusing to leave Enbridge’s offices in Duluth, Minnesota. (Pioneer Press)
BATTERIES: The challenge for expanding the use of battery technology isn’t with chemistry and physics, but “regulations and market forces.” (ClimateWire)
ELECTRIC CARS: Wisconsin lawmakers say they’ll pursue a “road user fee” for electric and hybrid cars. (Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter)
TRANSMISSION:
• A major transmission project in northern Minnesota moves forward. (KQDS-TV)
• Michigan is facing a shortage in transmission line workers. (Detroit News)
***SPONSORED LINK: Join the nation’s most successful women leaders in energy as they share their industry knowledge, strategies and experiences at the Leadership Conference for Women in Energy, December 7-8 in Newport Beach, California.***
VOLKSWAGEN SCANDAL: The U.S. EPA accuses the automaker of cheating a second time on emissions reporting for thousands more vehicles. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY: Congress should lift the ban on crude oil exports while placing a ban on natural-gas flaring. (Forbes)