MPSC Comments to EPA 1-21-16

January 21, 2016 in News & Press

The Midcontinent Power Sector Collaborative (formerly Midwestern Power Sector
Collaborative) is a diverse stakeholder group formed in 2012 to engage EPA and states on the
regulation of carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in the Midcontinent region.
Participants include state officials, investor-owned utilities, generation and transmission
cooperatives, merchant generators, public power producers and environmental organizations
from the Midcontinent region or with a significant presence in the region. Continue reading »

Minnesota ENERGY STAR® Challenge Announces Community Partners

December 7, 2015 in News & Press

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The Minnesota ENERGY STAR Challenge is excited to announce the selection of its community partners: the cities of Hutchinson and Woodbury. Each of these communities has demonstrated leadership in energy and sustainability initiatives and marks the beginning of lasting partnerships that will deepen efforts to increase building energy efficiency. Continue reading »

111d Workshop Highlights Now Available

July 8, 2015 in News & Press Author: Doug Scott

More than 400 people from the Midcontinent region and around the country took part in a recent workshop – Midcontinent States Regional Workshop: Implementation Options for EPA’s Clean Power Plan – hosted by the Great Plains Institute and the Bipartisan Policy Center, June 5, 2015, in Detroit, Michigan. Continue reading »

News Release: Great Plains Institute Lauds Passage of New MN Bioenergy Program

June 16, 2015 in News & Press, Transportation & Fuels Author: Amanda Bilek

Press Release Graphic

MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Legislature has established a new program aimed at enabling the commercial construction of Minnesota-based facilities that will produce advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals, or biomass thermal energy utilizing agriculture and forestry feedstocks.

“We are pleased that a new bioenergy program has been signed into law. The Bioeconomy Production Incentive Program received $2 million in funding for the next two years, providing a strong foundation for future project development,” said Great Plains Institute (GPI) Government Affairs Manager Amanda Bilek. Continue reading »

GPI Expands Staff with New Solar Team

March 4, 2015 in News & Press

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Great Plains Institute President & CEO Rolf Nordstrom announced today that Brian Ross and Abby Finis have joined the GPI team to lead its solar energy development work and contribute to the Institute’s growing practice aimed at helping cities and others achieve their clean energy and sustainability goals. Continue reading »

News Release: MPSC Submits Comments on Power Plant Rule and Brings Message to EPA and Administration

December 15, 2014 in News & Press

(WASHINGTON, DC) – A diverse group of Midwestern states and electricity sector stakeholders has submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking to shape the Agency’s impending rules aimed at reducing carbon emissions from existing power plants. The group—the Midwestern Power Sector Collaborative—heads to Washington on December 16th to meet with top officials at the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the EPA to discuss their comments. Continue reading »

Letter to MISO regarding lowering their minimum megawatt limit to encourage participation of distributed resources

July 18, 2014 in News & Press Author: Steve Dahlke

July 18, 2014 Dear Mike Robinson and Ted Kuhn, The following are comments from the MISO Environmental Sector regarding MISO’s minimum capacity resource limits. Specifically, we ask that MISO re-assess its current minimum limit of 5 MW and look at implementing a limit comparable to PJM (100 kW). This issue was raised by market participants at the June 4, 2014 Demand Response Working Group as a barrier to demand response participation in MISO’s markets. MISO responded with an informational presentation at the July 7 DRWG, describing its rules regarding minimum capacity resource limits, and requested additional stakeholder feedback on the topic. Continue reading »