CARBON CAPTURE: Environmental groups raise concerns that building out a network of pipelines to move carbon emissions to storage sites would extend the life of fossil fuel plants in the Upper Midwest. (Energy News Network)
BIOGAS:
• A new Minnesota law encourages natural gas utilities to file “innovation plans” to decarbonize their operations, which could include expanding renewable natural gas and energy efficiency. (Energy News Network)
• Illinois regulators approve a gas utility’s pilot program that seeks to expand the company’s renewable natural gas capacity. (Daily Energy Insider)
UTILITIES:
• The Ohio county that includes Cleveland advances plans to create a county-wide utility that would pursue projects to boost local reliability, including microgrids. (Cleveland.com)
• Wisconsin-based Alliant Energy’s new corporate sustainability report highlights the company’s progress on reducing emissions even as fossil fuels remain a majority of its generation. (Wisconsin State Journal)
SOLAR:
• A new coalition of business, environmental and clean energy groups will lobby state lawmakers in support of expanding community solar projects in Wisconsin. (Wisconsin State Journal)
• After working with the Red Lake Nation, a Minnesota solar installer seeks to help more tribes finance and build solar projects on their land. (Solar Power World)
• A three-year study in Minnesota is measuring the potential for incorporating pollinator-friendly habitats into solar projects. (KARE)
• Some Iowa landowners say a solar developer’s subcontractors have been trespassing on their property as the company seeks land leases for a large-scale solar project. (KWWL)
ELECTRIFICATION: As of early July, at least 19 states have policies prohibiting bans on new natural gas connections as reports continue to show a need for building electrification to meet climate targets. (S&P Global)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: An Iowa city installs its first publicly available electric vehicle fast-charging station. (WHO 13)
CLEAN ENERGY: Experts in Indiana question whether the state could meet a federal emissions-reduction standard given its currently small amount of renewable energy generation. (WFYI)
BIOFUELS: The Biden administration has reportedly delayed the annual process to determine how much biofuel oil refiners need to blend in their fuel each year. (Reuters)
OIL & GAS: Coal retirements in grid operator MISO’s territory is giving natural gas a large market share despite the fact that gas prices are usually elevated in the region. (S&P Global)
COMMENTARY:
• The planned early closure of a southern Ohio coal plant could forecast similar closures in the Ohio Valley region, a columnist says. (Herald-Dispatch)
• A Nebraska editorial board highlights recent criticism over the Biden administration’s cancelation of the Keystone XL pipeline. (Norfolk Daily News)