NATURAL GAS: Two Wisconsin utilities agree to move forward as one sought to build a new natural gas plant and the other looked to block it. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: Minnesota “has an excellent bastion of policies” that will help the state comply with the federal rules. (Midwest Energy News)

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EFFICIENCY: Michigan regulators last week rejected a utility’s proposal to raise rates for LED street lights. (Midwest Energy News)

UTILITIES:
• Experts discuss in Chicago what it will mean to be a “utility of the future.” (Midwest Energy News)
Commonwealth Edison pushes Illinois lawmakers to approve funding for six microgrids in the state to build resilience. (Microgrid Knowledge)

FRACKING: As Ohio works more closely with other states to develop its natural gas industry, a multi-state collaborative is monitoring development and seeking to “navigate the middle ground” between the industry and its opponents. (Midwest Energy News)

COAL: Ohio University stops burning coal and switches to natural gas six weeks ahead of schedule. (Athens Messenger)

GRID: Industry leaders and federal officials have set out on a plan to build grid security in the event of a natural disaster or major attack. (EnergyWire)

NUCLEAR: Ohio lawmakers want assurances that federal spending for uranium enrichment will be spent at a site in the state. (Columbus Dispatch)

BUDGET:
• Republicans pass on an opportunity to block funding for climate initiatives in the federal budget proposal. (Greenwire)
Democrats and Republicans claim victory on energy aspects of the federal omnibus budget. (E&E Daily)

WIND:
• An Ohio utility’s rate guarantee plan will lead to a surge in wind and solar development(Dayton Business Journal)
The Detroit Zoo will offset 100 percent of its electricity use with wind power through renewable energy credits. (Daily Detroit)

PIPELINES:
• North Dakota researchers make suggestions on how the state can improve in preventing oil pipeline spills. (Billings Gazette)
• Illinois regulators approve the state’s portion of the Bakken Pipeline; approval is still needed in North Dakota and Iowa. (The Gazette)
• A heated public meeting of nearly 100 in Iowa brings out those in favor and against the proposed project. (The Gazette)
Minnesota regulators will decide today how to move forward with the proposed Sandpiper project. (Associated Press)

OIL AND GAS:
• Repealing the crude oil export ban is unlikely to have an immediate impact on oil prices or ease the U.S. industry’s struggles. (New York Times)
State and tribal officials in North Dakota fail to reach a deal on an updated oil and gas revenue-sharing agreement. (Bismarck Tribune)

REGULATION:
• Even though it could do so, AEP says it will not sell plants that are included as part of its recent income guarantee request. (Columbus Business First)
• Ohio regulators begin a probe into whether companies that resell electricity in rental units should be treated as utilities. (Columbus Dispatch)

RATES: Another Nebraska utility gets pushback for attempting to raise fixed charges and decrease electric rates. (Lincoln Journal Star)

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COMMENTARY:
• Minnesota already has a head start in meeting goals laid out in the Paris deal and the Clean Power Plan. (MinnPost)
The pace of growth under Xcel’s community solar program is improving, but there is still work to be done. (Greentech Media)

CORRECTION: An item in Wednesday’s digest incorrectly identified the state where local health officials say there is insufficient evidence to link health problems with wind turbines. Those officials are in Wisconsin.

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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