Midwest states help others use efficiency to comply with Clean Power Plan

EFFICIENCY:
• A General Mills plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa is recognized by the federal government for making energy efficiency improvements. (Midwest Energy News)
• Six states, including Michigan and Minnesota, are leading an effort to streamline the evaluation of efficiency investments, which could help states comply with the Clean Power Plan. (EnergyWire)

BUDGET: A Chicago suburb sees a $27 million shortfall in its municipal electric department due to unstable energy prices, temperate weather and cost overruns at the Prairie State Energy Campus. (Chicago Tribune)

***SPONSORED LINK: Want a green energy job with a good salary? Acquire specialized training in economics and statistics through the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s unique, 10-month, professional master’s program in Resource and Energy Demand Analysis. Starting summer 2016.***

NUCLEAR: The chairman of a federal regulatory commission is pleased with upgrades being made at a Michigan nuclear plant following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. (Toledo Blade)

OIL AND GAS:
• Developers start work on central Ohio’s first horizontally fractured oil well. (Columbus Business First)
• Companies in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania are urged to work together on using ethane from the fracking process to make byproducts rather than burning it. (Columbus Business First)
• A top industry official says it’s a ​“suite” of proposed federal regulations that threaten North Dakota’s oil production, not slumping prices. (Associated Press)

DEMAND RESPONSE: U.S. Supreme Court justices raise concerns about federal regulators’ ability to reward customers for reducing energy use. (Greenwire)

EMISSIONS: A federal emissions-testing lab in Ann Arbor, Michigan is taking on a larger mandate for testing a variety of vehicles and devices. (MLive)

CLIMATE: Dozens of activists gather in front of the Nebraska governor’s mansion urging him to adopt a compliance plan for federal carbon rules. (Lincoln Journal-Star)

RETIREMENT: Utilities in Wisconsin and Kansas plan to retire 600 megawatts of coal, natural gas and biomass by the end of the year. (Platts)

FUEL CELLS: Toyota announces plans to phase out gas-powered vehicles by 2050, relying on hydrogen fuel cells instead of electric vehicles. (NBC News)

SOLAR: Local officials celebrate the unveiling of a 1.2-megawatt solar project in Illinois. (Dispatch/​Rock Island Argus)

POLITICS:
• Democrats’ embrace of climate change as an issue at the national level is a ​“stunning evolution.” (ClimateWire)
• Iowa corn advocates are active on the campaign trail educating candidates on the benefits of a strong Renewable Fuel Standard. (The Gazette)

***SPONSORED LINK: Hear top executives from the area’s RTOs, utilities, transmission developers, and state regulatory agencies discuss and debate critical issues at EUCI’s Transmission Expansion in the Midwest conference November 9-10 in Indianapolis.***

FRACKING: As voters are asked for a fifth time whether to ban fracking locally, an Ohio mayor says residents are ​“tired of hearing about the issue.” (Youngstown Vindicator)

COMMENTARY:
• A U.S. Supreme Court decision on demand-response ​“could very well be the biggest energy-related Supreme Court case in decades.” (The Conversation)
• Advocates make a legal argument for the Michigan governor and attorney general to shut down an oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. (MLive)