PIPELINES: A federal judge revokes a key permit for the Keystone XL pipeline that opponents say creates a “significant hurdle” for the project to move forward. (Associated Press)
ALSO: County officials in southern Ohio say they are taking steps to ensure public safety as hundreds of out-of-state workers continue construction on a natural gas pipeline. (Herald-Dispatch)
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CLEAN ENERGY: Michigan leads the Midwest with nearly 5,500 clean energy job losses since the coronavirus outbreak while hundreds of thousands more are expected nationally in the coming weeks, according to a new report by business and environmental groups. (MiBiz, CNBC)
UTILITIES:
• Michigan regulators approve DTE Energy’s long-term energy plan that includes several revisions to increase efficiency spending and use competitive bidding for new projects. (Crain’s Detroit Business)
• The executive chairman of WEC Energy in Wisconsin, which has seen a roughly 10% drop in power demand, advocates for a “smart reopening” of the economy based on public health expertise. (Milwaukee Business Journal)
RENEWABLES: A Michigan law that prevents community choice aggregation could be a barrier to Ann Arbor’s 2030 carbon neutral plan. (MLive)
COAL:
• Residents in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood file a class action lawsuit against the developer overseeing a former coal plant smokestack demolition that covered the surrounding area in dust over the weekend. (Chicago Sun-Times)
• Michigan’s two major utilities say they have plans in place to store coal ash from former and current coal plants in landfills. (MLive)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Joplin, Missouri, offers Tesla $1 billion in tax incentives and savings to locate a Cybertruck factory there. (CNBC)
• The EV charging infrastructure industry appears sheltered from short-term coronavirus disruptions, but the future is less certain. (E&E News, subscription)
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BIOFUELS: A major U.S. ethanol producer expects to cut its plants’ capacity in half and ramp up when demand improves after the coronavirus outbreak subsides. (Toledo Blade)
WIND: County officials in southeastern Kansas approve plans for a wind project that they say will bring local revenue without having to raise taxes. (Pittsburg Morning Sun)