PIPELINES: For the first time, federal regulators last week considered climate change impacts when approving a request to replace 87 miles of natural gas pipelines in Nebraska and South Dakota. (Associated Press)
ALSO:
• The Minnesota Court of Appeals will hear a case this week that centers on whether the Line 3 pipeline is needed and could decide whether construction continues. (Star Tribune)
• Ohio lawmakers plan resolutions urging Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to back off from plans to shut down the Line 5 pipeline in its current form in the Straits of Mackinac. (Toledo Blade)
• Less than 10% of the Keystone XL pipeline had been built when President Biden revoked a key permit for the project. (Reuters)
OHIO:
• FirstEnergy tells state regulators that it should not have to return $30 million in guaranteed revenue it collected from customers under the state’s power plant bailout law. (Associated Press)
• Gov. Mike DeWine appoints a former county judge as chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to replace former chair Sam Randazzo. (WOSU)
RENEWABLES:
• Officials in nearly two-thirds of Indiana’s 92 counties oppose a proposed bill that critics say would limit local control over wind and solar energy siting. (Seymour Tribune)
• Indiana utility NIPSCO plans several large solar projects to help offset lost coal capacity being retired in the coming years. (Times of Northwest Indiana)
CARBON CAPTURE: At least three northwestern Iowa ethanol plants have joined an agreement to develop a large carbon capture and storage project. (Sioux City Journal)
CLIMATE: Several Minnesota agencies recommend significant changes to the state’s environmental review process that would require developers to document a project’s carbon emissions. (MPR News)
POWER PLANTS:
• Developers want to build a facility in Minnesota that converts methane to natural gas, which officials say would be the first of its kind in the state. (Star Tribune)
• A western Michigan municipal utility plans to pay down remaining debt on a natural gas plant years ahead of schedule, saving customers millions of dollars. (Second Wave)
UTILITIES: Ameren Missouri offers customers smart meters at little to no cost, seeking to increase participation in energy management programs. (News Tribune)
COMMENTARY:
• An Ohio labor official says the state is poised to miss out on renewable energy projects under proposed legislation that would jeopardize revenue to local governments and schools. (LimaOhio.com)
• Last year’s scandal involving ComEd that led to a deferred prosecution agreement shows the need for Illinois lawmakers to adopt utility ethics reforms, an editorial board says. (Chicago Sun-Times)