WISCONSIN: We Energies asks state regulators to block two other utilities from building new generation plants. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
HYDRO: New residential lofts in Minneapolis will be powered mostly by hydropower that once fed an historic mill built in the 1880s. (Midwest Energy News)
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FRAC SAND: As a new mining operation grows around her, a Wisconsin resident protects her farm from future development. (LaCrosse Tribune)
OIL AND GAS:
• Attorneys say an Ohio group’s effort at a community bill of rights is an “illegal referendum” against oil and gas management. (Toledo Blade)
• One of the largest oil and gas developers in Ohio is looking to sell some of its assets there. (Columbus Business First)
• Developers of an Ohio natural gas pipeline sue 91 landowners to gain access to their properties. (Akron Beacon Journal)
FRACKING:
• An analysis shows that several thousand near-surface fracking wells pose a threat to drinking water supplies throughout the country. (Scientific American)
• A New York company becomes the second firm to register for fracking in Illinois. (Springfield State Journal-Register)
SOLAR: A Kansas utility agrees to a lower fixed charge than it had initially proposed. (Topeka Capital Journal)
COAL:
• A coal company and 14 of its subsidiaries agree to pay fines and study ways to better comply with the Clean Water Act at mines in five different states. (St. Louis Business Journal)
• A bipartisan group of Illinois lawmakers want more time to study proposed federal regulations on coal mining. (Southern Illinoisan)
BIOFUELS:
• Governors in Nebraska and Iowa announce a new ethanol-labeling initiative to promote domestic brands. (news release)
• A Nevada man is sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in generating fraudulent biodiesel credits. (Biofuels International)
COAL ASH: Residents and advocates speak out against We Energy’s proposal to expand a coal ash storage pile in Wisconsin. (Journal Times)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• North Dakota’s attorney general is considering a standalone lawsuit over the plan, saying the state is “treated more harshly than any other.” (Grand Forks Herald)
• Higher energy costs are predicted in Ohio. (Ohio Watchdog)
• Kansas’ attorney general joins 15 other AGs in seeking to halt implementation. (Topeka Capital-Journal)
• Michigan congressmen say the plan would unnecessarily penalize a pumped storage facility in West Michigan. (MLive)
AIR POLLUTION: Industry representatives try to use an asthma study as ammunition against federal ozone regulations. (Greenwire)
BUSINESS: Investors continue to question NRG’s business model as the company announces support for the Clean Power Plan. (EnergyWire)
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CLIMATE: The Iowa Board of Education unanimously adopts science standards that will teach the latest in climate science in classrooms. (Climate Progress)
COMMENTARY: The Clean Power Plan is a “game-changer” for Ohio. (NRDC Switchboard)