WIND:
• Transmission lines across states are “the biggest long-term barrier for wind energy development,” says one industry official. (Associated Press)
Farm advocates and a group of landowners ask Illinois regulators to reconsider their approval of a section of a transmission project moving wind energy from Kansas to Indiana through the state. (Associated Press)

RENEWABLE TAX CREDITS:
• Experts say extending federal tax credits for wind and solar should stimulate hundreds of billions of dollars in new investment. (ClimateWire)
• Solar installers in Arizona are “thrilled” about the federal tax credit extension for solar. (Phoenix Business Journal)

***SPONSORED LINK: Rocky Mountain Institute’s e-Lab Accelerator is calling on America’s most innovative teams at the forefront of the electricity transformation looking to take projects to the next level. See if your project is eligible for this invitation-only event April 24—27. ***

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• New Mexico officials are concerned that politics will get in the way of the state’s designing a compliance strategy. (ClimateWire)
Grid operator MISO says the price of natural gas could be the highest variable in the cost to comply with the federal rules. (RTO Insider)
EPA critics accuse the agency of usurping states’ rights among several other allegations as they prepare to challenge the Clean Power Plan in court. (Greenwire)

OIL AND GAS:
• “Unless there is a dramatic oil price turnaround,” Oklahoma’s budget deficit could surpass $1 billion. (The Oklahoman)
An oil producer in Oklahoma is defying a state directive to shut down six disposal wells linked to earthquakes. (EnergyWire)

CLIMATE:
• Exxon Mobil says it has had a consistent stance in support of a carbon tax for years, but the company has “never put its political muscle” behind it. (InsideClimate News)
• Congressional Republicans are running out of ways to torpedo the international climate deal signed by President Obama. (The Hill)
• A Duke University climate expert likens the Paris climate agreement only to a down payment on mitigating global warming. (Raleigh News & Observer)

SOLAR:
• A Navajo community will be home to the tribe’s first utility-scale solar project. (Associated Press)
• DTE Energy is planning to build a 45-megawatt solar array in southeast Michigan, which the company says would be the largest utility-scale project east of the Mississippi River. (MLive)

BATTERIES: The growth in energy storage deployment in Ohio could bolster the state’s renewables industry. (Midwest Energy News)

NUCLEAR: The Dept. of Energy launches a new bid to establish a waste disposal site and facility for spent fuel from commercial nuclear power plants. (The Hill)

***SPONSORED LINK: The Grid Modernization Forum, January 19-20 in Chicago, is a focused industry conference examining the integration of renewables, energy storage, microgrids, engaging the customer, and key regulatory issues.  Enter “US-News” when registering for 10% off.  ***

ALTERNATIVE FUELS: UPS is moving to supply its vehicles in Mississippi and Tennessee with natural gas produced from landfills. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)

COMMENTARY: Shareholder activism is the best new approach to phasing out coal. (Forbes)

Andy compiles the Midwest Energy News digest and was a journalism fellow for Midwest Energy News from 2014-2020. He is managing editor of MiBiz in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was formerly a reporter and editor at City Pulse, Lansing’s alternative newsweekly.

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