ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Ford announces plans for a $185 million research and development project focused on battery manufacturing. (Detroit Free Press)
ALSO:
• Ohio electric truck startup Lordstown Motors owes nearly $600,000 in real estate taxes — the latest troubling sign for the company. (Associated Press)
• A Michigan event showcases 11 different electric vehicle models in what organizers say is an industry “growing every day.” (MLive)
• Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush reintroduces legislation to invest billions of dollars in electrifying the transportation sector and boost U.S. electric vehicle manufacturing. (E&E News, subscription)
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PIPELINES: Archaeological discoveries in the Straits of Mackinac have fueled Native American tribes’ opposition to the Line 5 pipeline. (Metro Times)
OHIO: An oil and gas trade group gave nearly $1.5 million to dark money advocacy groups that unsuccessfully tried to stop passage of Ohio’s power plant subsidy law. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
SOLAR:
• Iowa farmers consider a $4.7 million solar project that could help bring more steady revenue than corn crops used for ethanol. (Iowa City Press-Citizen)
• Michigan lawmakers reintroduce bipartisan legislation to lift restrictions on community solar development. (Solar Power World)
• Michigan solar installers say the state is lagging in development because of restrictive state policies. (Michigan Radio)
EMISSIONS: Attorneys general in Missouri and Kansas join 20 others across the U.S. in opposing proposed federal rules to consider the social cost of carbon with new natural gas pipelines. (Kansas Reflector)
DIVESTMENT: Fossil fuel divestment plans have emerged at some U.S. universities but they are yet to catch on in oil and gas dependent states. (Inside Higher Ed)
WIND:
• A local climate commission says a Missouri county’s proposed wind siting regulations are too restrictive and would limit future development. (Missourian)
• Developers begin to study the wind energy potential in a southeastern Nebraska county. (News Channel Nebraska)
UTILITIES: Forbes ranks Consumers Energy as the top U.S. utility for workplace diversity. (WKZO)
COMMENTARY:
• Illinois women have played key roles in helping to lay the “foundation for our state’s clean energy leadership,” nuclear advocates write. (Energy News Network)
• An environmental justice organizer says Michigan needs more investment to electrify commercial vehicles to reduce air pollution. (Bridge Michigan)