COAL: A federal court rules Ameren must install pollution controls at a Missouri coal plant, which advocates say could accelerate its retirement. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
OIL & GAS:
• The state of Minnesota asks a federal court to block a first-of-its-kind tribal lawsuit over the Line 3 pipeline that names wild rice as the lead plaintiff. (Associated Press)
• Ohio officials say an abandoned oil well may be the source of a recent crude oil spill in a lake. (WTAP)
CLIMATE:
• A Kansas lawmaker gave a presentation at an oil and gas conference last week in which he compared scientists to Nazi propagandists while spreading misinformation about climate change. (Topeka Capital-Journal)
• Dubuque officials say the city has made significant progress in cutting emissions from its electricity use, but vehicle emissions have remained constant and natural gas emissions have increased. (Telegraph Herald)
• Iowa City awards $60,000 in climate action grants for solar power, energy efficiency and other projects. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
UTILITIES:
• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urges utilities to expand credits for customers impacted by recent power outages, and to show “tangible, immediate action” to improve reliability. (Detroit News)
• FirstEnergy is spending significantly less on lobbying in the wake of an Ohio corruption case, disclosing $2.2 million in payments for the first half of 2021. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
JOBS: Clean energy proponents in Minnesota say the sector could employ 100,000 people in the state by 2030. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
WIND: A Michigan farmer says misinformation on wind energy is so pervasive that neighbors are falsely blaming them for his recent cancer diagnosis: “It ain’t from the windmills … it’s chemicals I used years back.” (Checks and Balances)
SOLAR:
• An Illinois family is being sued by their homeowners association for installing solar panels on the front of their home, challenging a new state law that limits HOAs’ ability to impose restrictions. (PV Magazine)
• Construction has begun on First Solar’s $680 million manufacturing facility in northwest Ohio. (Construction Review Online)
• Neighbors of a proposed 300 MW solar project are concerned about aesthetic changes to their rural area, with an advocate noting that “the impacts of climate change are going to be a lot harder.” (Wisconsin State Journal)
• The CEO of a Kansas rural co-op says solar power is providing “instant relief” to customers by keeping bills stable. (KSN)
BIOFUELS: A soybean processing plant under development in North Dakota is part of a project to produce 75 million gallons of renewable diesel biodiesel a year. (Grand Forks Herald)
COMMENTARY:
• A Michigan consumer advocate says payouts to customers should be required when utilities fail to provide reliable service. (Detroit Free Press)
• Advocates say expanded transmission and distributed clean energy are both necessary to reach climate goals. (Forbes)