TRANSPORTATION: Michigan environmental and public transit advocates are dismayed at their exclusion from a new state mobility task force whose members’ backgrounds heavily favor automobiles. (Energy News Network) 

UTILITIES:
• Former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and a former top ComEd lobbyist are charged with bribery as part of an alleged scheme to gain favorable contracts through House Speaker Michael Madigan. (Chicago Sun-Times)
• Several Midwest utilities are planning major infrastructure investments to reduce climate-related risks and transition fuel sources. (Utility Dive)

OHIO:
• Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Sam Randazzo was not at Wednesday’s commission meeting following an FBI search of his home earlier this week. (Columbus Dispatch)
• Addressing the power plant subsidy law at the center of a bribery scandal is among top priorities for Ohio lawmakers’ lame-duck session. (Cleveland.com)

PIPELINES:
• Environmental attorneys say Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has a compelling legal argument to shut down Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac, but a court dispute with Enbridge could drag on for years. (Bridge Michigan)
• Two protesters lock themselves to equipment as part of organized action against the Line 3 pipeline replacement and expansion. (Native News Online) 

CLEAN ENERGY: Minneapolis is offering clean energy grants of up to $40,000 to small businesses owned by people of color, immigrants and others whose storefronts were damaged during civil unrest earlier this year. (Star Tribune)

SOLAR: An Indiana school district nears the completion of solar installations at two schools, which are expected to save about $125,000 a year in electricity costs. (Kokomo Tribune)

CLIMATE: University of Wisconsin researchers say Madison Gas and Electric’s net zero carbon emissions goal by 2050 is in line with global targets, though environmental advocates want more specific plans. (Wisconsin State Journal)

COAL:
• Local officials in southern Indiana worry about the economic fallout of closing coal plants over the next decade. (Indiana Public Media)
• Indiana lags behind several southeastern states that have safely closed coal ash storage ponds, according to a report from the Hoosier Environmental Council. (WBAA)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Startup EV companies mobilize lobbying efforts in Washington in preparation for the Biden administration and more aggressive plans to tackle transportation-sector emissions. (E&E News, subscription)

OIL & GAS: The company planning a $10 billion petrochemical plant in Ohio that uses ethane from natural gas to produce other chemicals will take several more months to consider the project. (Columbus Dispatch)