COAL: The early retirement of Ameren’s second-largest coal plant looks increasingly likely after a court ordered the utility to install expensive air pollution controls. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
ALSO:
• A decades-old coal plant and its coal ash storage sites along Lake Michigan in Waukegan, Illinois, is among several industrial facilities in the area that are contributing to negative public health outcomes. (Chicago Tribune)
• The municipal utility in Springfield, Illinois, begins public meetings on plans to permanently close two coal ash storage ponds. (FOX Illinois)
EFFICIENCY: Wisconsin regulators vote 2-1 to set new guidelines for the state’s energy efficiency program that will focus on reducing energy consumption as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. (Wisconsin State Journal)
CLIMATE:
• Xcel Energy is among just a few major utilities worldwide that are on track to meet climate goals consistent with preventing warming above 1.5°C, according to a recent report. (Utility Dive)
• More rooftop solar opportunities, affordable electric vehicles and easier access to renewable energy were among suggestions during a public input session on Michigan’s climate action plan. (MLive)
OIL & GAS: BP agrees to pay a more than $500,000 penalty and reduce soot emissions from its northwestern Indiana refinery under a deal with regulators and advocates who accused the company of violating a prior deal. (Washington Post)
BIOFUELS: The Biden administration is expected to soon propose new biofuel blending requirements for oil refiners after more than a year of delays. (Reuters)
SOLAR: Energy News Network reporter Frank Jossi discusses interconnection delays that have stymied solar projects in Minnesota and throughout the Midwest. (MPR News)
DECARBONIZATION: A group of more than 100 major investors urges utilities to not use carbon offsets to reach emission-reduction targets while also warning against the risks and high costs of carbon capture. (Energy and Policy Institute)
BIOGAS: Supply chain bottlenecks cause slight construction delays on a $16.2 million renewable natural gas pipeline in Topeka, Kansas. (WIBW)
COMMENTARY:
• A nonprofit foundation official says Ohio, as a leading greenhouse emitter in the U.S., has a key role to play in addressing climate change. (Cleveland.com)
• Clean energy advocates say Illinois has developed an impressive climate change and clean energy playbook that should be a model for other states. (Natural Resources Defense Council)