PIPELINES: Enbridge asks the Michigan Public Service Commission to declare that the company doesn’t need a state permit to build an underground tunnel for the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. (Bridge)
SOLAR: Dane County, Wisconsin, seeks proposals for an 18 MW solar project to power county operations. (Wisconsin State Journal)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Ohio startup Lordstown Motors still plans to debut its electric pickup truck this summer. (CNET)
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: The developer overseeing a smokestack demolition that covered parts of a Chicago neighborhood in dust violated several environmental regulations, the Illinois EPA says. (Chicago Sun-Times)
GRID: Illinois regulators join a lawsuit against a recent FERC decision they claim will increase costs to customers and discriminate against renewable energy. (Utility Dive)
WIND:
• DTE Energy activates a 68-turbine wind project in mid-Michigan. (Detroit Free Press)
• Federal officials investigate as Grand Forks, North Dakota, becomes a COVID-19 hotspot following positive cases linked to a wind turbine manufacturer. (Star Tribune)
EFFICIENCY: Michigan State University is recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy for reducing its energy usage 21% two years ahead of schedule. (State News)
BUILDINGS: Officials in a Minneapolis suburb approve a controversial apartment development that will include solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations. (Star Tribune)
CLEAN ENERGY: Battery storage, smart grid and energy efficiency companies raised $252 million in venture capital funding in the first quarter of 2020, a 20% increase over the same time period last year. (Utility Dive)
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OIL & GAS: A fire at a North Dakota saltwater disposal well causes more than 23,000 gallons of brine to spill. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY:
• Michigan’s advanced energy industry is a “less-appreciated core part” of the state’s manufacturing legacy, advocates say. (Energy News Network)
• Misinformation surrounds plans for a central Missouri wind project, which clean energy advocates say would bring much-needed local revenue. (Columbia Missourian)
• Former Illinois Sen. David Luechtefeld says state lawmakers should focus their efforts on COVID-19 rather than a “costly and unnecessary green energy policy mandate.” (Southern Illinoisan)