ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Ford unveils its electric F-150 pickup truck, which has the potential to convert a new class of drivers to electric vehicles based on its features and price. (Grist)
ALSO: A Foxconn plant in Wisconsin is still under consideration to produce a new line of electric vehicles as part of a joint venture. (Milwaukee Business Journal)
***SPONSORED LINK: The Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition via Fresh Energy is hiring for a Manager of Building Policy and Technology consultant to support policy and technology solutions. Apply before June 1.***
BIOFUELS: Marathon converts a North Dakota oil refinery into a renewable diesel plant that will soon be powered by wind energy. (Bismarck Tribune)
OHIO:
• The state’s top House Republican won’t say whether state Rep. Larry Householder will be expelled over his alleged role in the state’s power plant bailout law controversy. (Cleveland.com)
• FirstEnergy attorneys argue in court filings that the millions of dollars used to pass the scandal-tainted law were political “issue-advocacy” contributions that were channeled legally through a nonprofit. (Cleveland.com)
SOLAR:
• Duluth, Minnesota, officials will consider plans next week to lease nearly 10 acres of land for a 1.6 MW solar project. (Duluth News Tribune)
• More than a dozen organizations form a coalition in Michigan to support proposed legislation that would expand community solar. (PV Magazine)
• A 50 MW solar project is now operational in southwestern Indiana. (WEHT)
COAL: Illinois environmental advocates say the need to regulate coal ash storage sites has come to the forefront as the state transitions from coal-fired power plants. (Southern Illinoisan)
STORAGE: Federal regulators reject grid operator MISO’s request to extend a compliance deadline in an order to better integrate battery storage into the marketplace. (Utility Dive)
RENEWABLES:
• Ohio Democrats seek to reduce minimum setback requirements for wind projects that they say have stalled development for years. (Farm and Dairy)
• Clean energy advocates oppose changes to an Ohio bill that instead of giving more local control would let local governments set aside land for wind and solar. (Farm and Dairy)
EFFICIENCY:
• Minnesota lawmakers reach agreement on an energy efficiency program expansion but remain divided over longer term clean energy targets. (MinnPost)
• An Ohio city joins a statewide coalition that will perform an energy audit and provide savings through efficiency investments. (WCHS)
PIPELINES:
• North Dakota regulators approve plans to convert 27 miles of an oil gathering pipeline into a transmission pipeline that will move more Bakken crude oil to Wyoming. (Bismarck Tribune)
• U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan says the cyberattack on the Colonial pipeline exposed infrastructure security vulnerabilities. (WDET)
UTILITIES: St. Louis natural gas utility Spire seeks to have customers pay the legal expenses from a recent multi-million dollar discrimination lawsuit that it lost. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
GRID: A FirstEnergy subsidiary completes the rebuilding of a 12.8-mile transmission line in Ohio that’s expected to improve local reliability. (T&D World)