READER SURVEY: Do you have feedback for Midwest Energy News? Help us improve this service by taking a short, 10-question survey.
COAL: North Dakota taxpayers and coal companies continue to fund efforts to promote the coal industry in Minnesota. (Midwest Energy News)
ALSO:
• An industry group in Ohio gathers support for lawmakers who will back coal mining. (WTOV-TV)
• A Wisconsin coal plant undergoes a $110 million pollution control system upgrade that will cut nitrogen oxide levels by at least 50 percent. (Wisconsin State Journal)
***SPONSORED LINK: End your year on a strong note at Solar Power PV Conference & Expo-Chicago. Join hundreds of solar professionals and 40+ exhibitors for two days of cutting-edge education and networking. Register today! Expo passes start at $50.***
SOLAR: Missouri regulators approve the state’s largest investor-owned utility’s plan to build a community solar project, and another utility is expected to follow suit. (Midwest Energy News)
WIND:
• Detroit-based DTE Energy says the number of bird and bat deaths at its wind projects in eastern Michigan are “just above average.” (Huron Daily Tribune)
• Michigan researchers say disease-causing fungus, loss of habitat and wind turbines are the main contributors to declining bat populations there. (Detroit News)
• A “group of concerned citizens” forms a nonprofit advocacy group in Indiana to inform residents about local wind siting rules. (Rushville Republican)
PIPELINES:
• Despite a federal court ruling allowing construction to proceed on a disputed portion of the Dakota Access project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers won’t yet authorize it. (Associated Press)
• Advocates are asking the developer to “heed the government’s request” to hold off on construction in the disputed section until a permitting decision is made. (Greenwire)
• Dakota Access pipeline protesters in North Dakota prepare for the coming cold months: “We’re not giving up.” (New York Times)
EFFICIENCY: Major energy efficiency upgrades to buildings in downtown St. Paul are believed to be the largest Property Assessed Clean Energy financed project in the nation. (Minnesota Public Radio)
RATES: Large manufacturers in Wisconsin continue putting pressure on officials over increasing rates there, saying electricity prices threaten economic development when compared to nearby states. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
OIL AND GAS: New research from an Ohio university says the “shale revolution” is the real culprit behind the coal industry’s decline. (Pittsburgh Business Times)
***SPONSORED LINK: Support Solar in Illinois — Purchase a raffle ticket to win a 2016 Tesla Model S from the Illinois Solar Energy Association! One ticket for $100, 4 for $300. Only 2,500 tickets will be sold!***
POLITICS: A renewable energy business owner in Wisconsin is challenging an incumbent state representative in this year’s election. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
BIOFUELS: An explosion and fire at an Iowa ethanol plant critically injures one worker. (Radio Iowa)