ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: A new report highlights best practices for local leaders and companies to use while expanding clean vehicle production in neighborhoods historically burdened by pollution from auto production facilities. (Energy News Network)
CLEAN ENERGY: Midwestern cities lag behind coastal cities in developing strong renewable energy and energy efficiency policies, according to new rankings, though Madison, Wisconsin, showed improvement from the year before and Minneapolis ranked among the top municipalities nationwide. (Energy News Network)
GRID:
• Widespread outages during storms earlier this year have prompted regulators and lawmakers to call for Michigan utilities to make grid upgrades, especially as climate change exacerbates extreme weather. (MLive)
• Burying power lines and more distributed renewable energy generation can help improve Michigan’s grid reliability as storms become more frequent, experts say. (MLive)
UTILITIES:
• Ohio energy regulatory staff will get another month to release an audit of FirstEnergy because the utility dragged its feet in providing key information. (Cleveland.com)
• Accountability concerns still linger for FirstEnergy as utility leadership looks to move forward from high-profile scandals in recent years. (Statehouse News Bureau)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Rivian plans to hire 800 to 1,000 additional workers to manufacture electric trucks at its Normal, Illinois, plant. (Pantagraph)
PIPELINES: A state agency seeks public input on a proposal to reroute the Line 5 pipeline around a reservation in northern Wisconsin. (Wisconsin State Journal)
SOLAR:
• A county board approves permits for what would be the largest solar project in Nebraska. (KOLN)
• More than 100 people attend a public hearing over plans for a large-scale solar project in northwestern Ohio. (Crescent-News)
• Local planners in southwestern Indiana opt against recommending several rezoning requests for a planned 280 MW solar project. (Princeton Daily Clarion)
OIL & GAS:
• Federal regulators propose the developer of the 711-mile interstate Rover natural gas pipeline through Ohio pay a $40 million civil fine over alleged violations during construction. (Reuters)
• BNSF Railway agrees to pay a $1.5 million settlement arising from a 2018 oil spill in northwestern Iowa waters. (Associated Press)
• A small Kansas town is being sued by its natural gas supplier for allegedly failing to pay more than $170,000 in charges accrued during early 2021’s cold weather snap. (Kansas Reflector)
• Environmental groups urge Illinois regulators to reject permits for a 160-acre natural gas plant project. (WICS)
FRAC SAND: In a victory for environmental groups, a Wisconsin appeals court declines to reinstate a wetlands permit for a controversial frac sand mining project. (Wisconsin State Journal)
COMMENTARY:
• Illinois can be a model for renewable energy projects that provide community benefits as the state meets new clean energy targets, says a local planning organization. (Energy News Network)
• The Biden administration’s plan to reach 45% solar generation by 2050 “represents an unprecedented opportunity for rural people,” says a Center for Rural Affairs official. (Norfolk Daily News)