Iowa lawmakers seek independent review of pipeline

ILLINOIS: Advocates try to gauge where Illinois is heading on energy under Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO: A state agency is expected to decide today whether to investigate an Integrys subsidiary for alleged abuse of a state gas line replacement program. (SNL)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join venture capitalists, civic leaders, and industry executives on April 14 at the Clean Energy Challenge in Chicago to watch fourteen cleantech startups compete for $1 million in total funding.***

COAL: Developers have pulled the plug on a controversial Indiana coal gasification plant. (Indianapolis Star)

SOLAR: Owens Corning plans to build 2.4 MW worth of solar canopies over a Toledo parking lot, and could solar power surpass natural gas in the U.S.? (Toledo Blade, Quartz)

OIL AND GAS:
• Iowa lawmakers seek an independent environmental review for a proposed crude oil pipeline. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• A Minnesota county may buy a piece of property to block oil trains from going into Minneapolis. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• Minnesota lawmakers call for a tax on railroads to pay for safety improvements on oil train routes. (Minnesota Public Radio)
• A citizen lawsuit challenges a Wisconsin rail expansion. (Madison Capital Times)
• Ohio lawmakers amend a bill to require ​“zero surface impact” from fracking in state parks, but reject further protections. (Columbus Dispatch)
• Researchers develop a technique to treat drilling wastewater that also generates electricity. (Christian Science Monitor)
• A brine spill may have contaminated a North Dakota creek. (UPI)

KANSAS: Wind energy supporters urge Kansas lawmakers not to repeal the state’s renewable energy standard. (Topeka Capital Journal)

UTILITIES: A Missouri proposal would use tax credits instead of rate reductions as an incentive for new companies. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

TRANSMISSION: A Wisconsin regulator says he’s taken no position on a proposed transmission line despite he and his father owning land near one of the proposed routes. (La Crosse Tribune)

TECHNOLOGY: Wisconsin researchers combine solar and biomass technologies to develop a new energy storage technique. (Tech Times)

EPA: Wisconsin and EPA officials debate carbon regulations at a forum in Milwaukee. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

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TRANSPORTATION: Electric vehicles are a hot topic at a Minnesota energy conference. (St. Cloud Times)

COMMENTARY: A Michigan lawmaker ​“must think the arcane nature of energy policy allows him to hide his polluter and utility wish list masquerading as legislation in plain sight.” (NRDC Switchboard)