RENEWABLES:
• This week, Michigan’s two largest utilities have announced increased commitments to renewable energy based on the continued transition away from coal and in response to customer demand. (Midwest Energy News)
• The CEO of Detroit-based DTE Energy, which plans to cut carbon emissions 80 percent and phase out coal use by 2050, says climate change is “the policy issue of our era.” (Crain’s Detroit Business)
WIND: In coal-heavy North Dakota, the wind industry is growing as electricity producers diversify their portfolios and seek the “cheapest, most readily available generation resource.” (E&E News)
***SPONSORED LINK: Smart Cities Technologies in Wisconsin is taking place on June 6 in Milwaukee. Organized by the Midwest Energy Research Consortium and the City of Milwaukee, this workshop will explore how cities like Milwaukee are adopting Smart Cities Technologies. Register before June 2. ***
COAL:
• An ongoing lawsuit and costly pollution-control upgrades are complicating the future of a large coal plant in Indiana, though advocates say the plant owner should be working to retire the facility. (Midwest Energy News)
• Indiana officials say up to 20 properties across the state are undergoing evaluation for closing coal ash storage ponds as coal plants are retired. (Jeffersonville News and Tribune)
• Former coal mining executive Don Blankenship, who recently was freed from federal prison, asks President Trump to resist attempts by Congress to enhance criminal penalties for coal executives with mine safety violations. (Associated Press)
OIL AND GAS: The State Historic Preservation Office in Ohio says the developer of the Rover gas pipeline owes $1.5 million for harm the project does to historic properties. (Canton Repository)
SOLAR:
• NRG announces the completion of its first seven community solar projects in Minnesota that total 32 megawatts. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• Another Ohio brewery adds onsite solar panels, which are expected to generate a quarter of the facility’s electric needs. (Columbus Business First)
SMART GRID: Ameren installs smart grid devices in an Illinois community that are meant to reduce outage times. (Quincy Herald-Whig)
NUCLEAR:
• Officials in the northern Ohio county that includes Toledo are urging state lawmakers to reject subsidies for FirstEnergy that would keep open struggling nuclear plants. (Toledo Blade)
• Should state lawmakers wait until the fall to vote on the nuclear subsidy, the CEO of FirstEnergy says it may be too late to save the company’s plants. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• A coalition of groups is asking Amazon to expand its renewable energy procurement policy to include nuclear in order to help save two Ohio nuclear plants. (Greentech Media)
UTILITIES: Madison Gas & Electric Co. shareholders offer a resolution urging the utility to pursue more renewable energy and opportunities in clean transportation. (Wisconsin Gazette)
PIPELINES: Tribes representing tens of thousands of indigenous people in the U.S. and Canada are expected to sign a declaration today opposing the Keystone XL pipeline. (Associated Press)
BIOENERGY: The owner of a waste-to-energy facility in Nebraska is contesting violations it received in connection to workers being exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas. (Sioux City Journal)
COMMENTARY: The Natural Resources Defense Council says that despite the Trump administration’s position on climate change, some Midwest states are being proactive on clean energy. (NRDC blog)