Minnesota company likely to challenge community solar program in court

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SOLAR: A solar company in Minnesota says it will ​“likely” take the state’s stalled community solar program to court. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

ALSO:
• One company is leading two projects near Indianapolis totaling 14 megawatts. (PV Magazine)
• The Indiana Supreme Court will hear a case involving an advocacy group seeking emails between a state legislator and a utility over a solar bill he sponsored. (Associated Press)

***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.***

STATEWIDE ENERGY PLANS:
• Clean-energy advocates are supportive of a Missouri agency’s plan to turn to more efficiency and hike the state’s renewable standard. (Midwest Energy News)
• Officials putting together a comprehensive energy plan for Iowa want to focus attention on reducing demand. (Midwest Energy News)

COAL:
• Former miners in southern Illinois rally against company bankruptcies that would threaten their retiree benefits. (Southern Illinoisan)
• Crews work to retrofit a 100-year-old coal and gas plant at the University of Minnesota with a natural-gas turbine that will cut the campus’ emissions 10 to 12 percent. (Minneapolis/​St. Paul Business Journal)
• With coal-by-rail shipments declining, BNSF is building a freight ​“superhighway” between Los Angeles and Chicago for a range of other goods. (Crain’s Chicago Business)

EPA: One of the only groups praising the EPA’s new ozone rule represents investor-owned utilities across the country. (Greenwire)

OIL AND GAS: While the industry’s carbon emissions increased last year, methane emissions from leakage fell for the third consecutive year, EPA data shows. (EnergyWire)

PIPELINES:
• A tribal official in South Dakota tells state regulators that the company looking to build a major pipeline through the state did not consult with the tribe on a ​“cultural resources survey.” (Rapid City Journal)
• Enbridge receives permission from Canada to pipe more tar sands oil along the north shore of Lake Ontario, which first passes through Michigan waterways. (MLive)

NUCLEAR: A former U.S. EPA administrator says nuclear should play a larger role in Ohio’s energy future. (Columbus Business First)

PLANT CLOSURES:
• A Wisconsin town looks for relief as a coal plant closure could cause $5 million in annual local economic losses. (Winona Daily News)
• They could get it, as Gov. Scott Walker — prompted by another community’s same concern — signs a bill into law that eases revenue losses. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

COMMENTARY:
• Bipartisan federal legislation would help industrial users in Wisconsin through tax credits for more efficient self-generation. (Midwest Energy News)
• A message for Iowans: ​“Corn-based ethanol … is a highly problematic candidate for membership in the renewable energy club.” (Pacific Standard)
• In Patriot Coal bankruptcy, former miners’ retirement benefits are ​“jeopardized thanks to legal and corporate chicanery.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• Shutting down units at Minnesota’s Sherco coal plant is to be lauded for cutting emissions, but what about the costs? (St. Cloud Times)