Controversial Minnesota mining site to be repurposed as community solar project

SOLAR:
• Grid operators around the country are exploring a wide range of potential fixes to what’s known as the ​“duck curve” problem in which solar production and demand peaks don’t align. (Midwest Energy News)
• A controversial sand and gravel mining site in Minnesota will be repurposed as a community solar project. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: Most of the 27 states challenging the Clean Power Plan are already on track to meet emission-reduction targets. (Reuters)

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PIPELINES:
• A federal appeals court orders a halt to construction on another section of the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota. (Associated Press)
• A tribal leader in Wisconsin says the Dakota Access pipeline should be a concern for all, not just Native Americans. (LaCrosse Tribune)
• A federal judge drops a temporary restraining order against tribal leaders who were sued by the Dakota Access developer. (Associated Press)
• The Dakota Access protest site has created a new school for children and an increasingly organized system to deliver supplies there. (Associated Press)
• Enbridge performs maintenance on an oil pipeline in northern Minnesota after corrosion was discovered on the line’s exterior. (Forum News Service)

WIND: The developer of a planned northern Illinois wind project is shelving the plan indefinitely after a more-restrictive county zoning ordinance was passed last year. (Rockford Register Star)

POLICY: The Michigan Senate could act this week on comprehensive energy reforms. (Detroit Free Press)

RENEWABLES:
• Small, rural utilities in Iowa are turning to wind and solar to meet a growing percentage of their electric demand. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
• A west Michigan county will lease roughly 2,000 acres at a wastewater treatment facility for wind and solar development. (MLive)

COAL:
• A North Dakota coal mine is the first in the country to use a drone to conduct land surveys. (Bismarck Tribune)
• The CEO of DTE Energy says he is concerned about the impact on electricity reserves from closing old coal plants . (Crain’s Detroit Business)
• Coal backers in Illinois believe the next president could greatly impact the future of the state’s industry. (Chicago Tribune)

GRID: Energy experts in Missouri discuss ways to modernize grid infrastructure in a timely and cost-effective way. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

OIL AND GAS:
• North Dakota’s oil production outlook for the rest of the year looks poor, officials say. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• An Ohio appeals court says the developer of a natural gas pipeline in Ohio and Michigan can enter private property and conduct land surveys. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

TRANSPORTATION: Due to technological limitations, widespread use of electric planes will take longer to develop than electric cars. (Associated Press)

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BIOFUELS: While the Renewable Fuel Standard has exerted significant economic influence in the U.S., there is ​“hardly consensus” about whether it has delivered on initial promises of emissions reductions and less dependence on foreign oil. (New York Times)

COMMENTARY:
• A rate increase for FirstEnergy is vital for the economic health of northeastern Ohio. (Cleveland Scene)
• Federal agencies and courts should decide quickly on a framework for an agreement over the Dakota Access pipeline. (Bismarck Tribune)
• The declining cost of wind power is ​“significantly affecting the mix of fuels used for generation at regional and state levels.” (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)