Oil in Oregon train derailment met North Dakota safety standards

OIL BY RAIL: The Bakken crude oil on a train that derailed in Oregon last week met North Dakota’s oil conditioning standards that require the removal of the most volatile gases. (Forum News Service)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• A Minnesota community is selected as a finalist in the America’s Best Communities competition due in part to its commitment to clean energy. (Midwest Energy News)
• An Ann Arbor, Michigan-based nonprofit wins a global sustainability award for its work bringing clean energy to citizens in developing countries. (MLive)

***SPONSORED LINK: Learn about the latest in renewable energy and sustainability at The Energy Fair, June 17-19. Features include keynote speakers John Farrell and J. Drake Hamilton, 250+ workshops, 200+ exhibitors, entertainment, and more.***

WIND: Local officials approve plans for a 160-turbine wind project in Nebraska over the objections of some residents. (Associated Press)

STORAGE: Shedd Aquarium in Chicago installs a one-megawatt lithium ion battery as part of an effort to cut energy usage in half by 2020. (Crain’s Chicago Business)

PIPELINES: The developer of the Dakota Access pipeline is challenging the findings and authority of Iowa’s state archaeologist who recommended rerouting a portion of the project because it passes a sacred tribal burial ground. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

OIL AND GAS:
• ConocoPhillips is back to operating at 10 percent at one of its Alberta oil sands projects after shutting down due to a massive wildfire last month. (Reuters)
• A federal agency considers measures to strengthen regulatory oversight of liquefied natural gas storage facilities. (EnergyWire)
• Natural gas plants remain the cheapest generation facilities to build, according to U.S. EIA data. (Utility Dive)

BIOFUELS: Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad makes a pitch at a California conference for the state’s new tax credit for reusing materials left over during the biodiesel-making process. (Radio Iowa)

UTILITIES: Missouri regulators want to have a say in approving the planned merger between Great Plains Energy and Kansas-based Westar Energy. (Topeka Capital-Journal)

COAL: Officials are investigating the death of a worker at a coal mine in Illinois. (Southern Illinoisan)

***SPONSORED LINK: The Michigan Energy Fair announces two new partners: The Sustainable Living Summit 2016 and The Great Lakes Emergency Preparedness Expo, June 24-25, Ingham County Fairgrounds, Mason, Michigan. For complete information go to www.glrea.org ***

POLITICS:
• U.S. Senate candidate Ted Strickland looks to appeal to coal communities in eastern and southern Ohio after losing a key mining union endorsement to incumbent Republican Rob Portman. (Associated Press)
• The two candidates continue to criticize each other’s records on coal. (Morning Consult)

COMMENTARY:
• FirstEnergy is ​“all in for competitive markets … except when they aren’t.” (Energy Collective)
• In Iowa, wind energy has always been about jobs and economic development. (Christian Science Monitor)
• A Minnesota utility should set higher clean energy goals. (Duluth News Tribune)
• Wind and solar should not be subsidized to the detriment of nuclear. (U.S. News and World Report)