North Dakota universities offer scholarships to laid-off oil workers

MINING: Despite ongoing efforts to improve the water quality in an Ohio waterway polluted by drainage from coal mines, areas downstream are still depressed from a lack of biodiversity. Similar efforts persist elsewhere in the state. (Midwest Energy News, WCMH-TV)

SOLAR: A new web-based tool helps Minnesota consumers determine the financial benefits of enrolling in community solar programs, as well as where to find them. (Midwest Energy News)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join the nation’s most successful women leaders in energy as they share their industry knowledge, strategies and experiences at the Leadership Conference for Women in Energy, December 7-8 in Newport Beach, California.***

CLEAN POWER PLAN: An Ohio utility’s CEO says the Clean Power Plan can help the utility as it moves to diversify its energy mix. (Columbus Business First)

MICHIGAN: Advocates say a 30 percent renewable ​“goal” by 2025 isn’t as ambitious as it seems because it includes energy efficiency. (MLive)

OIL AND GAS:
• Utica shale drilling activity has led to $5.7 billion in infrastructure spending since the spring. (Columbus Business First)
• Public universities in North Dakota have launched a new scholarship program to enroll laid-off oil workers in energy programs as a way to prepare them for new jobs. (Reuters)
• A North Dakota city moves closer to banning oil field crew camps, even though oil companies says there’s still a need for temporary worker housing. (Associated Press)

COAL: A coal plant’s closing in West Michigan may jeopardize federal support to maintain a shipping port on Lake Michigan. (MLive)

BAKKEN PIPELINE:
• A recent study shows the Iowa commission voting on the project is one of the most inexperienced in the country. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks out against the proposed project, saying the country needs to ​“break our addiction to fossil fuels.” (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• Based on the list of speakers signed up to comment on the project, most of the opponents live within Iowa while a majority of supporters live outside the state. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

OIL BY RAIL: A railroad company says this week’s oil train derailment in Wisconsin was caused by a broken rail. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY:
• Using the Congressional Review Act is ​“another futile ploy by the coal industry” to derail the Clean Power Plan. (The Hill)
• It’s inaccurate for labor bosses to say President Obama was ​“pandering” to ​“environmental extremists” with his Keystone XL decision — he was acting out of principal. (MLive)