FRAC SAND: The Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds a decision to deny a permit to a company looking to develop a 265-acre frac sand mine in the western part of the state. (Associated Press)
SOLAR:
• A 34-home subdivision in Milwaukee will have deed restrictions that require solar installations, with the cost paid back through the mortgage. (Midwest Energy News)
• Minnesota’s statewide community solar policy has been a catalyst for development there. (Governing)
• The Midwest Renewable Energy Association is helping launch another solar group-buying program near Milwaukee. (Wisconsin Gazette)
***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. ***
CLIMATE:
• President Trump is expected to announce today that the U.S. is pulling out of the Paris climate agreement. (Reuters)
• A survey finds that in Kansas and Missouri, among other states, the Paris agreement is more popular than President Trump or the senators urging him to withdraw from it. (McClatchy)
• If the U.S. withdraws from the Paris climate agreement, dozens of states and many cities still have plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (Associated Press)
• Advocates and lawmakers believe renewable energy development will still continue in Iowa. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
WIND:
• A North Dakota farm won’t have wind turbines built on it as part of an expansion project due to historical artifacts found on the property. (Forum News Service)
• An SC Johnson manufacturing plant in eastern Michigan now runs on 100 percent wind energy. (MLive)
• A South Dakota county adopts new wind energy regulations that include setback distances of four times the height of the turbine. (Watertown Public Opinion)
• A developer secures the financing for a 300-megawatt wind project in Missouri. (CleanTechnica)
PIPELINES: The Dakota Access pipeline is expected to start shipping oil today. (Associated Press)
CLEAN ENERGY: Chicago-based Invenergy is launching a venture capital fund to invest in digital startups focused on improving the reliability of clean energy. (Crain’s Chicago Business)
UTILITIES: The CEO of Consumers Energy says Michigan has “the opportunity of a generation to determine what kind of energy we want to supply for the next hundred years.” (MLive)
BIOFUELS: An explosion at an ethanol plant in Wisconsin kills one and injures several others. (WISN-TV)
GRID: A new policy tracking tool shows states across the Midwest engaged in grid modernization efforts. (Utility Dive)
COAL:
• After more than a century, an Iowa coal plant ceases operations. (Telegraph Herald)
• A Wisconsin coal plant that closed in 2010 will be added to the State Register of Historic Places. (Beloit Daily News)