CLEAN ENERGY: Climate change and clean energy fall to the back burner in Minnesota campaigns as candidates focus on issues related to the pandemic and policing. (Energy News Network)
OIL & GAS:
• Michigan environmental groups are at odds over a ballot proposal that aims to boost spending on state park improvements using funding from fossil fuel extraction. (Energy News Network)
• North Dakota’s oil and gas production increased slightly in August while a growing number of rigs are in operation. (Associated Press)
***SPONSORED LINK: The University of Minnesota Law, Policy, and Business Conference on Equity and Electrification of Transportation, Friday, October 23, from 10 am – 2:30 pm, will discuss broader reforms to our transportation systems through the lens of law, policy, and business. Register here. ***
PIPELINES:
• An administrative law judge finds that Minnesota regulators properly considered the construction impacts of the Line 3 replacement project in a loss for project opponents. (Star Tribune)
• Tribes and environmental groups urge a Michigan agency to consider potential archaeological discoveries before granting permits to Enbridge for a pipeline tunnel project. (Michigan Advance)
OHIO:
• A group of health care physicians joins calls to repeal HB 6, which subsidizes two 1950s-era coal plants and gutted the state’s clean energy standards. (Energy News Network)
• Under a bankruptcy reorganization plan for a former FirstEnergy subsidiary, taxpayers could ultimately be on the hook for the cost of cleaning up the company’s nuclear plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania. (Ohio Capital Journal)
SOLAR:
• Ameren Illinois files a new tariff that would continue to fully compensate new rooftop solar customers for power sent back to the grid if regulators determine the utility’s net metering calculation should remain. (Solar Power World)
• A new group-buying cooperative looks to expand solar and electric vehicle charging station installations in northwestern Indiana. (Times of Northwest Indiana)
GRID: Iowa utility officials consider ways to boost grid resilience after this summer’s derecho storm, including microgrids and improved distribution lines. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
WIND: Local officials in Kansas advance new wind regulations that create greater minimum setback distances but loosen restrictions on noise and shadow flicker. (Hutchinson News)
CARBON CAPTURE: Utility officials respond to recent criticism about a planned carbon capture and storage project that could prolong the life of a North Dakota coal plant. (Grand Forks Herald)
CLIMATE: Evansville, Indiana, is recognized for its efforts in crafting a climate action plan by a statewide organization representing municipalities. (Evansville Courier & Press)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: General Motors rebrands a Detroit auto factory to reflect growth in electric vehicle production there. (Detroit News)
COAL:
• The Trump administration loosens Obama era restrictions on coal ash storage at power plants that will allow some facilities to keep open storage ponds for years longer. (Associated Press)
• Coal plants in multiple Midwest states will be required to make additional cuts to emissions that contribute to downwind Clean Air Act compliance problems. (E&E News, subscription)