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)

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Ken Paulman

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.