Exelon delays decision to close Illinois nuclear plant

NUCLEAR: Exelon says it will take another year to consider whether to close a central Illinois nuclear plant. (Associated Press)

BIOFUELS: A Minnesota company is taking its innovative approach to speed up the waste-to-fuel process to the Pacific Northwest. (Midwest Energy News)

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CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Obama administration attorneys say they’re preparing for the ​“Super Bowl” of climate litigation. (Greenwire)
• Clean-energy advocates in Illinois are ​“puzzled” as to why moderate Republican Sen. Mark Kirk is backing congressional challenges to the Clean Power Plan. (E&E Daily)
• Why many big businesses are lining up in support of the plan. (Michigan Public Radio)

SOLAR:
• Wisconsin regulators are again considering a utility request to raise fixed charges while wading into the contentious politics of rooftop solar. (EnergyWire)
• According to the latest figures, Wisconsin ranks in the bottom half of states for solar installations. (Kenosha News)

EMISSIONS: An Iowa judge has granted class status to thousands of residents alleging a local manufacturing plant’s air emissions are a nuisance. (Associated Press)

POLITICS: Michigan conservatives tell college Republicans why it’s important to build bipartisan bridges on energy policy. (Michigan Daily)

OIL AND GAS:
• Iraqi government officials tour North Dakota to learn about solutions to natural gas flaring. (Associated Press)
• Kansas regulators extend restrictions on the oil and gas industry meant to limit earthquakes in the southern part of the state until at least March 2016. (Associated Press)
• For the second consecutive month and only the third time ever, the amount of gas generation exceeds coal. (Utility Dive)
• A new pipe manufacturing plant is expected to bring 180 jobs to a small Nebraska city. (Associated Press)

CLIMATE: Hillary Clinton joins Bernie Sanders in saying the Justice Department should investigate the failure of ExxonMobil to disclose research on climate change. (Reuters)

COAL:
• Alliant Energy starts the process of closing a coal plant in Wisconsin. (WQOW-TV)
• The coal industry downturn is affecting one of its only profitable companies, a St. Louis-based mining firm that plans to reduce quarterly payments to shareholders. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

PIPELINES: North Dakota officials have spent years studying how to limit pipeline spills, though advocates are growing impatient that it hasn’t resulted in tougher standards. (EnergyWire)

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UTILITIES: Maryland’s attorney general petitions a state court calling on regulators to reconsider their approval of Chicago-based Exelon’s merger with Pepco Holdings. (Baltimore Sun)

COMMENTARY:
• Ohio citizens should be engaged with pending utility requests to guarantee income for aging coal plants. (Athens Post)
• Minnesota’s energy efficiency program makes good economic sense. (Mankato Free Press)
• With growth coming in Minnesota’s solar gardens program, ​“it only makes sense” for cities to formalize zoning procedures to accommodate projects. (St. Cloud Times)