Stateline Midwest ~ June 2013

The Midwest’s carbon footprint got smaller over the past decade, a period of time in which the region’s mix of sources for electric power also changed significantly.

National Center for Interstate Compacts Director Crady deGolian provides an update on several ongoing projects, including the Interstate Compact for the Siting of Electric Transmission Lines, the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement which relates to distance learning, the EMS Licensure Compact, and the Medical Licensing Compact Concept. 

Today's Wall Street Journal featured a front page story highlighting that US crude oil production grew by 14% last year. The finding came from an annual compilation of industry trend lines that is published by BP  called the Statistical Review of World Energy, which noted that the increase was the largest in the world and the largest in US history. Rising domestic crude oil production, according to the report, was largely tied to increased use of hydraulic fracturing that has led to rapid growth in shale production in North Dakota and Texas.

A decision last week by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a cost allocation plan backed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for siting electric transmission lines, which would bring wind from the Midwest into the Great Lakes region, may have major implications for state renewable power mandates that have provisions giving preferential treatment to renewable energy sourced within its borders. In the decision, the federal appeals court ruled against utilities and officials form Illinois and it declared Michigan's state renewable portfolio standard was unconstitutional because it discriminated against out of state renewable energy sources when meeting the mandate.

The Department of Interior announced today that it has scheduled the nation's first offshore wind lease sale in federal waters. The nearly 165,000 acre lease sale is scheduled to take place on July 31st for commercial wind energy development off the coastal waters of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Please join us for the next installment of CSG's Webinar Series entitled, "Storm Recovery—Building Stronger, Smarter Electrical Grids." The event takes place at 2 PM/Eastern on June 12th and detailed registration information can be found here.

Mark your calendars for the next installment in CSG's webinar series entitled, "Storm Recovery—Building Stronger, Smarter Electrical Grids." The program will start at 2 PM/Eastern on June 12th and you can register here for the event.

A conference committee between the Minnesota State House and Senate recently announced an agreement to resolve differences in two competing proposals to expand the solar energy requirement for investor-owned utilities. Under the proposal, investor-owned utilities (such as Xcel Energy and Minnesota Power) must generate 1.5 percent of its electricity from solar power by 2020.