Michigan hydro owners feeling squeezed by utilities, proposed legislation

SOLAR:
• The Minneapolis/​St. Paul airport plans to increase its solar generation by another 1.3 MW, making it nearly twice the size of the next largest installation in the state. (Minnesota Public Radio)
• An Iowa school district is in a dispute with a local power provider over a solar project that would allow the district to recoup costs by selling excess electricity. (Mason City Globe Gazette)

HYDRO: Owners of small hydro facilities in Michigan say major investor-owned utilities plan to cut power purchases in half over the coming years as contracts expire. (Crain’s Detroit Business)

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OIL AND GAS:
• Recent polling shows wide support in North Dakota for more regulations on natural gas flaring. (Midwest Energy News)
• Meanwhile, cleanup of a 2013 pipeline spill in North Dakota is moving slowly because of a lack of natural gas needed to power equipment. (Associated Press)
• Plans for a $5.7 billion ethane cracker plant in Ohio started two years ago when a Thai company started eyeing hundreds of acres in the eastern part of the state. (Columbus Business First)
• A House panel will vote this week on lifting the crude oil export ban. (The Hill)

OHIO: FirstEnergy’s consultant making power price forecasts into the future overestimated wholesale prices, cutting the credibility of the utility’s request for a ​“bailout.” (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

FRACKING: A local elections board in Ohio hires outside counsel to defend the board’s decision of rejecting an anti-fracking ballot proposal because the county prosecutor sided with advocates. (Youngstown Vindicator)

NUCLEAR:
• As a Kansas nuclear plant celebrates its 30-year anniversary, environmentalists are divided over the zero-carbon fuel source. (Lawrence Journal-World)
• In a setback for anti-nuclear advocates, federal regulators deny a special hearing about a Michigan plant’s continued operations. (Toledo Blade)
• Federal regulators call off a long-term study on cancer risks near nuclear plants because the costs would be ​“prohibitively high.” (The Hill)

GRID: As costs continue to decline, 2015 is on pace to the best year ever for battery storage and the market is ​“on a growth trajectory.” (Utility Dive)

COMMENTARY:
• In light of new federal carbon rules, Nebraska should establish a tax credit for wind and solar energy. (Lincoln Journal Star)
• Why can’t Wisconsin be a clean-energy leader? (Madison Capital Times)
• To support a state-led, ​“all-of-the-above” energy policy, Michigan needs to retain its efficiency and renewable standards. (Lansing State Journal)