‘Cross-pollination’ of automakers, tech companies to make next generation of vehicles

HYDRO: Lawmakers and experts disagree over whether a hydroelectric pumped storage facility in West Michigan should count towards the state’s carbon-emission reductions. (Midwest Energy News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tech companies are flocking to Detroit and automakers to Silicon Valley as the two sectors develop the next generation of vehicles. (Associated Press)

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WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A large waste incinerator in a trendy Minneapolis neighborhood is helping vault the city as one of the most sustainable in the world. (Politico)

COAL: Two retired coal miners reflect on life in the mines and the boom and bust cycle of their hometowns in Illinois. (The Southern Illinoisan)

FRACKING: Youngstown, Ohio will move forward with an anti-fracking ballot initiative, where local officials say a recent secretary of state ruling does not apply to them. (Youngstown Vindicator)

SOLAR:
• Indiana regulators approve plans for Duke Energy to buy 20 MW of solar from four sites around the state. (Associated Press)
• With major projects planned around the country, the price of new solar energy is now competitive or even cheaper than natural gas. (EnergyWire)

WIND: Iowa regulators approve a settlement agreement for a 552 MW wind project. (The Gazette)

TRANSPORTATION: A former railroad line through northwest Chicago is repurposed as a popular commuter bike and walking trail. (Associated Press)

AUCTION:
• Results from the latest PJM capacity auction are expected to make it harder for FirstEnergy to argue for power purchase agreements to keep a nuclear and coal plant open. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• With costs higher than expected, ComEd residential customers in the Chicago area will see their average electric bills increase by $82 a year by 2018-2019, analysts say. (Chicago Tribune)

AIR POLLUTION: High traffic volume is a contributing factor to Cincinnati being among the worst in the nation for year-round pollution, according to a new study. (Cincinnati Business Courier)

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Legal challenges to the plan are expected to stall infrastructure upgrades nationwide. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• The plan may make Minnesota and North Dakota, which have been at odds over energy policy for years, unlikely allies in compliance. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• A new poll shows 67 percent of Ohioans support regulations requiring coal plants to reduce pollution. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

COMMENTARY:
• Proposed net metering changes in Michigan will effectively kill rooftop solar there. (MLive)
• Ohio’s FirstEnergy is stuck in an old utility business model and will be the ​“poster child” of the 20th century. (Greentech Media)