98-year-old pipeline being considered to move oil from Michigan to Canada

CLEAN ENERGY:
• As the country transitions away from coal to more wind, solar and natural gas, experts say new grid regulations are needed to ensure reliability. (EnergyWire)
• Advocates call on Illinois lawmakers to pass a Clean Jobs Bill which calls for 35 percent clean energy by 2030. (Peoria Public Radio)

ADVOCACY: The head of Michigan’s state-sanctioned ratepayer advocacy group seeks more funding to balance the interests of industrial users and large utilities. (Midwest Energy News)

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PIPELINES: A Texas company wants to use a 98-year-old pipeline to move crude oil across a river from Michigan to Canada without public comment or an environmental review. (Detroit Free Press)

WIND: More than 31 percent of the electricity generated in Iowa last year came from wind, the first time a state has broken the 30 percent threshold. (The Gazette)

SOLAR:
• In a new survey of utility professionals, 91 percent of respondents said they expect utility-scale solar to ​“increase significantly or moderately in their fuel mixes over the next five years.” (Utility Dive)
• A utility operating in parts of the Dakotas reaches an agreement with solar advocates to reduce residential demand charges. (Utility Dive)
• A South Dakota cooperative looks to develop more solar. (Mitchell Daily Republic)
• Residents in southern Illinois see the economic benefits of going solar. (Southern Illinoisan)

NATURAL GAS:
• Advocates say the natural gas boom is creating a wave of new petrochemical plants that would emit a massive amount of greenhouse gases. (Associated Press)
• A new industry report says natural gas pipelines don’t hurt property values. (Toledo Blade)

DEMAND: Iowa’s energy demand grew 27 percent between 2000 and 2013 even though demand nationally fell during that time. (Business Record)

CONGRESS: A sweeping federal energy bill may return to the Senate floor for a vote this week. (E&E Daily)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: Major cities are leading the charge to turn food waste from homes into energy. (Governing)

COAL:
• The Illinois attorney general files a lawsuit against a coal company over a slurry discharge last month. (Southern Illinoisan)
• Self-bonding raises questions over mine reclamation in states across the country. (National Public Radio)

OIL AND GAS: Despite the industry downturn, some Kansas companies are still drilling for oil and gas on properties due to agreements with landowners. (Wichita Eagle)

COMMENTARY: The head of Illinois’ coal industry trade group says the Obama administration’s ​“war on coal is bigger than its war on terror — and arguably more effective.” (Southern Business Journal)