OHIO: Gov. Mike DeWine signs a bill repealing $1 billion in subsidies for two FirstEnergy nuclear plants as well as revenue guarantees from decoupling that will refund $26 million to customers. (Cleveland.com)
ALSO: Critics say FirstEnergy’s recent public statements against anti-Asian violence comes two years after the company helped fund a xenophobic campaign in Ohio supporting the state’s power plant bailout law. (Ohio Capital Journal)
***SPONSORED LINK: On April 9, join U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and climate leaders for a conversation about how Congress can pass a meaningful climate and infrastructure package that delivers good paying clean energy jobs, and provides the path to 100% clean electricity by 2035.***
PIPELINES:
• A Michigan tribe seeks a federal designation of cultural significance to an area of the Straits of Mackinac that, if successful, could complicate Enbridge’s efforts to build a tunnel for Line 5 there. (Energy News Network)
• Protesters lock themselves to a Wells Fargo bank building in downtown Duluth in opposition to the company’s financing of the Line 3 pipeline. (KBJR)
• Enbridge waited more than a year to disclose a petroleum substance leak from its Line 13 pipeline, and Wisconsin officials are determining whether to take enforcement action against the company. (Duluth News Tribune)
• The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation seeks a consultation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to encourage it to continue Dakota Access pipeline operations. (Williston Herald)
• Nearly five years later, the Dakota Access pipeline protests at Standing Rock still resonate with many activists. (MPR News)
INFRASTRUCTURE:
• President Biden’s $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan includes at least $650 billion over 10 years for clean energy investments. (Inside Climate News)
• The plan also includes tens of billions of dollars for environmental and economic relief for fossil fuel-dependent Ohio Valley communities. (Ohio Valley ReSource)
NUCLEAR: Nuclear power advocates raise concerns about the potential local impacts of Exelon’s plan to close two Illinois nuclear plants later this year. (WTVO)
COAL: Experts say Germany can provide a lesson in how to invest in coal-reliant communities as plants and mines are shut down. (Vox)
GRID: A Michigan task force submits recommendations to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on improving electric reliability in the Upper Peninsula, including investments in grid modernization and clean energy. (WNMU)
OIL & GAS:
• A $25 billion plan to combine two major rail lines creates the first single-path crude-by-rail gateway from Alberta province to Houston refineries. (S&P Global)
• We Energies says a proposed liquid natural gas storage facility in southeastern Wisconsin could have saved nearby customers $1.1 million in heating costs this year. (Watertown Daily Times)
SOLAR:
• Some residents raise concerns about an Indiana solar project occupying farmland and its potential effects on property values. (WEHT)
• Local officials consider tax incentives for a 280 MW, $215 million solar project in southwestern Indiana. (Princeton Daily Clarion)
BIOFUELS: Iowa’s attorney general files an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court saying fuel standard waivers for oil refiners jeopardize the state’s ethanol industry. (Des Moines Register)
***SPONSORED LINK: What does the future hold as the U.S. accelerates its transition to clean energy? Join the Energy News Network on April 22 for a conversation about what’s next for coal country. Register today!***
UTILITIES: Ameren Missouri requests a rate increase from state regulators to help pay for clean energy projects and gas and electric infrastructure. (Missouri Times)
WIND: A northern Kansas county receives funding requests from local organizations for spending down $300,000 in payments from a local wind project. (Concordia Blade-Empire)