POLICY: Developers and advocates say Illinois’ solar industry could face irreparable harm after the pandemic causes state leaders to cancel a November legislative session, delaying action on multiple clean energy bills. (Energy News Network)
UTILITIES: Consumers Energy President and CEO Patti Poppe is leaving the company effective Dec. 1 to lead PG&E Corp., California’s largest utility, as it grapples with wildfire and reliability challenges. (MiBiz)
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PIPELINES:
• Members of a Minnesota agency’s environmental justice advisory group resign in protest after state officials approve a key water quality permit for the Line 3 pipeline replacement and expansion project. (Star Tribune)
• An attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity says Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s move to shut down Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac is “going to spark some interest in (other) existing pipelines.” (New York Times)
NUCLEAR: The operator of Wisconsin’s only remaining nuclear plant seeks permission from federal regulators to continue operating the facility through 2050. (Wisconsin State Journal)
OHIO: Gov. Mike DeWine says there is no indication that Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Sam Randazzo is the target of a federal investigation after the FBI executed a search warrant at Randazzo’s Columbus home. (Dayton Daily News)
SOLAR:
• Michigan considers policies that use public lands to help fight climate change, including for large solar projects. (Bridge Michigan)
• The Boys and Girls Club of Fort Wayne, Indiana, installs the city’s largest solar project at its new facility. (WANE)
• An Indianapolis pilot program that provides solar panels to low and moderate income homes completes its first installation. (WFYI)
• Plans for a large-scale solar project in central Ohio start to face pushback from some residents despite promises of jobs and local tax revenue. (WOSU)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• EV startup Lordstown Motors is building a research and development center in metro Detroit. (Detroit News)
• A newly formed coalition will push for an accelerated transition to electric vehicles, advocating national policies to enable 100% EV sales in the U.S. by 2030. (Automotive News)
• Electric school buses could play a key role in vehicle-to-grid technology, storing low-cost overnight or midday power and dispatching it during evening peaks. (Greentech Media)
OIL & GAS: Though production increased in September, North Dakota’s oil industry faces uncertainty with the incoming Biden administration and as prices remain low because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Star Tribune)
COMMENTARY: The long-term outlook for the coal industry remains bleak as Peabody Energy says it could soon wind up in its second bankruptcy, a columnist writes. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)