Ohio renewable energy standards to resume this year

MICHIGAN: In an interview with Midwest Energy News, Gov. Rick Snyder praises recent legislation and discusses Michigan’s energy future.

OHIO:
• State renewable energy standards will resume this year after Gov. John Kasich vetoed a bill to make them voluntary; state Sen. Bill Seitz, who has tried for years to thwart the standards, accuses the governor of ​“appeasing his coastal elite friends.” (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Columbus Business First)
• Developers plan a new 1,650 MW natural gas plant in eastern Ohio. (Columbus Business First)

***SPONSORED LINK: Connect with more than 650 of the region’s best and brightest at MEEA’s 2017 Midwest Energy Solutions Conference, February 22-24 in Chicago, featuring unparalleled networking, insightful panels and more. Register today!***

SOLAR:
• ​“Solar is taking off in Minnesota” as a new utility-scale array doubles the state’s capacity and becomes the first solar farm integrated into the Midwest’s wholesale market. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, Utility Dive)
• Cuyahoga County, Ohio is assessing the potential of former landfills for solar farms. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

IOWA: A new report discusses ways to advance clean energy in Iowa beyond wind. (Midwest Energy News)

COAL:
• North Dakota’s largest power plant makes operational changes to ramp up and down more quickly. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Peabody Energy files a plan to exit bankruptcy. (St. Louis Business Journal)
• Researchers at Ohio University seek to develop new uses for coal. (Athens News)

PIPELINES:
• Protesters climb rafters to hang a giant ​“Divest” banner at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis during a Minnesota Vikings game. (Associated Press)
• Despite protests, a section of the Dakota Access pipeline beneath the Mississippi River has been completed. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• Victories by Dakota Access and Keystone XL protesters have emboldened activists around the country. (InsideClimate News)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: A group of Democratic state attorneys general adviseDonald Trump not to repeal the Clean Power Plan, telling him the decision would lead to an inevitable lawsuit. (The Hill)

BIOFUELS: Trump’s advisory team includes some harsh critics of federal ethanol policy. (Bloomberg)

NUCLEAR:
• Closure of the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan will cost hundreds of millions of dollars. (MLive)
• Another Michigan nuclear plant reports its diesel backup generators are inoperable. (MLive)

EFFICIENCY: Ohio regulators approve a gas utility’s plan to expand efficiency programs. (Columbus Dispatch)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join Dairyland Power Cooperative CEO Barbara Nick and the ​“Michael Jordan of solar policy,” Adam Browning of Vote Solar, at RENEW Wisconsin’s ​“Clean Energy Goes Mainstream” Summit. Thursday, Jan. 19 in Madison. Register Today!***

WASTE TO ENERGY: A Wisconsin tribe sues the city of Green Bay over a withdrawn permit for its planned waste-to-energy plant. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY:
• Illinois and Michigan are among eight states that made major strides on clean energy policy in 2016. (Union of Concerned Scientists)
• What Ohio could learn from Texas on wind energy. (Akron Beacon-Journal)
• Renewable energy means ​“more local, good-paying jobs” in Wisconsin. (Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter)