WIND: A new industry report says wind generation is at an all-time high and also driving new employment nationwide. (Associated Press)
ALSO:
• A report from Wisconsin officials finds no evidence linking reported health problems to wind turbines. (Fond du Lac Reporter)
• Michigan ranks near the middle of 12 Midwestern states by paying rural landowners $4.6 million in land lease payments in 2014 for wind projects. (Midwest Energy News)
• Major corporations are increasingly turning to wind power because it makes financial sense. (Washington Post)
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COAL:
• The world’s largest privately owned coal producer, St. Louis-based Peabody Energy, files for bankruptcy. (Reuters)
• Michigan State University announces it will stop burning coal at its campus power plant as it transitions to natural gas and renewables. (Lansing State Journal)
• Midwest coal shippers “can breathe a sigh of relief” as plans for a major rail company merger deteriorate. (EnergyWire)
EFFICIENCY: Nebraska looks to improve its performance on energy efficiency by adopting a statewide Property Assessed Clean Energy financing law. (Midwest Energy News)
PIPELINES:
• Minnesota regulators announce plans for a dozen public meetings over the next month on the proposed Sandpiper oil pipeline. (Associated Press)
• Iowa landowners file a lawsuit seeking to overturn state approval of the Dakota Access pipeline. (WHO-TV)
ILLINOIS: State lawmakers and lobbyists are working behind the scenes to craft a single energy policy proposal that deals with struggling nuclear plants, renewable development and microgrids. (Utility Dive)
SOLAR: Cedar Rapids, Iowa will install solar panels on the roof of its public transportation agency. (The Gazette)
POLITICS: An Ohio U.S. Senate candidate’s embracing of climate change as an issue “is emblematic of changes in the energy economy and Midwestern climate politics.” (Grist)
OIL AND GAS: The steep decline in oil prices mean fewer students from Saudi Arabia are enrolling in classes at a Kansas university. (Wichita Eagle)
NUCLEAR: Anti-nuclear advocacy groups will hold public forums later this month as part of efforts to close down a plant in southwest Michigan. (MLive)
EMISSIONS: The University of Iowa reaches a first-of-its-kind deal with state air quality regulators over how it reduces its emissions on campus. (The Gazette)
COMMENTARY:
• A former Minnesota lawmaker says the Clean Power Plan will penalize the state for “taking the initiative in supporting and investing in clean energy.” (Grand Rapids Herald Review)
• In Illinois, there is an “urgent need” to ramp up the state’s energy storage capabilities. (Chicago Tribune)