North Dakota hearing highlights tension over wind development, coal

NOTE TO READERS: Midwest Energy News will be taking a break for Independence Day. We will return on Tuesday, July 7.

EQUITY: Advocates say clean energy and efficiency programs for low-income households can help address the energy burden disproportionately faced by African Americans while providing multiple benefits for utilities and customers. (Energy News Network)

WIND:
• Tension over wind development in North Dakota’s coal country surfaces during a public hearing over a county’s moratorium on wind development in place until 2022. (Bismarck Tribune)
• An AEP subsidiary signs a long-term power purchase agreement for the output of a 400 MW wind project in central Illinois. (North American Windpower)

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PIPELINES:
• A Michigan judge allows Enbridge to temporarily restart a segment of the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac to perform an in-line investigation and provide results to the state. (Detroit News)
• Residents speak out against Enbridge’s plan to reroute a segment of Line 5 in northern Wisconsin, with one saying: ​“It’s all risk and no reward for the people of Wisconsin.” (Wisconsin State Journal)
• Ohio regulators fined Dominion Energy $1 million for a natural gas pipeline explosion in November, citing a lack of oversight and poor construction practices. (Cleveland.com)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Home builders partner with an energy cooperative in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to build the city’s first ​“electric vehicle ready” community where new houses are equipped with an EV charger. (WQOW)

FRAC SAND: A Wisconsin frac sand producer files for bankruptcy as the pandemic and resulting shock to oil markets continue to put pressure on the industry. (Wisconsin State Journal)

SOLAR:
• A northeastern Ohio school district expects to save at least $30,000 a year in electricity costs with the installation of a solar project later this summer. (WFMJ)
• A solar group-buying program is returning to Evansville, Indiana for a second year due to strong demand. (Evansville Courier & Press)

GRID: An eastern Michigan electric cooperative receives a $26.5 million loan from the USDA to finance grid infrastructure improvements over the next five years. (Huron Daily News)

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COAL:
• The site of a former Consumers Energy coal plant in western Michigan is repurposed as an expanded shipping port. (MLive)
• Murray Energy reaches a settlement with affiliate Foresight Energy to resolve claims ahead of their bankruptcy proceeding. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)

COMMENTARY: The head of the Indiana Conservative Alliance for Energy says making the case for clean energy is ​“rapidly becoming a no-brainer” as more utilities announce a transition from coal. (Evansville Press & Courier)