Ohio ​‘bailout’ opponents walk away from negotiations

OHIO:
• A utility ​“bailout” settlement may be proposed in the coming days by FirstEnergy, but regulators could take months to issue a final decision. (Akron Beacon Journal)
• The Sierra Club and other opponents walk away from closed-door negotiations, saying the process was a farce. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY: Leading companies based or operating in Ohio say they are moving forward with efficiency and renewable energy plans despite a lack of interest by state officials. (Midwest Energy News)

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UTILITIES: Minnesota’s e21 plan is unique because, at a time when other states and utilities seem to want to maintain the status quo, the state’s electricity industry appears willing and prepared to embrace change. (EnergyWire)

CLIMATE CHANGE:
• As climate negotiations kick off today in Paris, observers note that any agreement would not save the planet, ​“but only be a strong first step.” (New York Times)
• Microsoft founder Bill Gates and other billionaires are expected to unveil a clean-energy research and development program today in partnership with leading countries. (Greenwire)

WIND: Three grid operators set new wind generation records this month. (RTO Insider)

SOLAR: School districts in the Twin Cities region continue to invest in solar projects to lower energy costs. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

NATURAL GAS:
• We Energies completes a $62 million coal-to-natural-gas conversion at its Milwaukee plant. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• A utility will give updated cost estimates for a major natural-gas infrastructure project in Chicago that has caught the attention of Illinois’ attorney general and consumer advocates. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

COAL: A federal appeals court rules that EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy does not have to give a deposition in a coal company’s lawsuit over the impact of regulations on jobs. (Associated Press)

NUCLEAR:
• Federal regulators will soon decide whether it’s safe to operate nuclear plants for 80 years, twice as long as initially allowed. (Bloomberg News)
• The temporary shutdown of a Minnesota plant led to a fish kill in the Mississippi River. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

OIL AND GAS:
• Officials are still investigating the source of an oil spill into a Michigan river, with estimates so far at 300 gallons. (Associated Press)
• South Dakota regulators are expected to decide today whether to allow construction of the Dakota Access pipeline through the state. (Associated Press)

BIOFUELS:
• The Obama administration will issue an updated ruling on the federal Renewable Fuel Standard today, which is widely expected to increase the requirements for biofuels through 2016. (Reuters)
• Meanwhile, a new report shows ethanol production hit record levels this month. (Bloomberg News)

INCENTIVES: New research shows that a large majority of energy tax incentives are inequitable and go to mostly affluent consumers. (Vox)

BATTERIES: The University of Michigan lands nearly $5.5 million in federal grants to improve battery storage and efficiency technology. (MLive)

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DISTRIBUTION:
• Alliant Energy is about two-thirds of the way through major infrastructure changes to phase out its numerous substations in Iowa communities. (The Gazette)
• The utility will also rely on the grid to meet its needs in Dubuque, Iowa, after it plans to close a plant there in 2017. (Telegraph Herald)

COMMENTARY:
• Watch closely for utility-favored deals in Ohio that could emerge as amendments in ​“Christmas tree bills.” (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• The utility ​“death spiral” predicted in 2013 due to distributed generation was not only wrong, it was ​“wildly, spectacularly wrong.” (Forbes)