New legislation would boost solar power in Illinois

NOTE TO READERS: Midwest Energy News will not be published on Memorial Day. The email digest will return on Tuesday, May 27.

SOLAR: New legislation would require the Illinois Power Agency to purchase $30 million in clean energy, mostly from solar sources. (Crain’s Chicago Business)

NATURAL GAS: While energy is a hot topic in the Ohio legislature this year, lawmakers have so far passed up a chance to increase fines for natural gas pipeline safety violations, despite the urging of state regulators. (Midwest Energy News)

***SPONSORED LINK: Tour beautiful and sustainable homes in the Twin Cities area May 31 on the EcoMetro Sustainable Living Tour. Homes feature innovative technology that tackle the challenging combination of cold winters & hot summers with smart design choices, cutting edge building techniques, and on-site renewable energy systems.***

COAL: The chairman of the Prairie State Generating Company has resigned. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

POLLUTION: The White House campaigns to build support for new carbon rules, and a new report estimates the global costs of air pollution at more than $3 trillion per year. (Reuters, ClimateWire)

OIL: The chairman of a leading Bakken oil producer warns ​“we can’t have any more issues” with safety in the region, North Dakota’s top regulator says the oil boom will last for generations, and the state’s oil reserve fund tops $2 billion. (Bismarck Tribune, Associated Press)

MICHIGAN: A poll finds broad support for shifting away from coal, while the state’s ranking drops in a clean-energy jobs survey. (Crain’s Detroit Business)

EPA: Records show EPA staff have accepted more than $4.5 million in meals and travel costs from industries and other groups with a stake in agency rulemaking. (Greenwire)

ETHANOL: A government watchdog group calls for an investigation into the EPA’s proposal to cut the renewable fuel mandate. (Reuters)

CARBON CAPTURE: The operators of an Illinois ethanol plant are seeking permission to build a second carbon-capture well at the site. (Decatur Herald-Review)

COAL ASH: The EPA reaches an agreement with Duke Energy to clean up a February coal ash spill in North Carolina. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY: Why ​“ratepayer” is a dirty word. (Greentech Media)

CORRECTION: Environmental groups were not involved in the latest compromise proposal on Ohio’s renewable energy and efficiency standard, as misstated in an item in yesterday’s digest.