OHIO: The state’s power plant bailout law guaranteed utilities steady income even when electricity sales decline, a provision that has insulated them from the economic impact of the pandemic at the expense of ratepayers. (Energy News Network)
ALSO:
• A Republican state senator joins calls to revoke those decoupling provisions as lawmakers attempt to chip away at HB 6. (WOSU)
• Environmental groups call for an investigation into FirstEnergy’s influence over the former chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. (Associated Press)
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CLIMATE: President Biden signs executive orders to pause oil and gas leasing on federal land, limit fossil fuel subsidies and expand offshore wind development as part of sweeping federal climate action. (Associated Press)
OIL & GAS: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum says the Biden administration’s pause on oil leasing on federal land is a “crushing blow to our country’s economy at a critical time.” (Bismarck Tribune)
PIPELINES: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must now outline its plans for the Dakota Access pipeline after an appeals court confirmed it’s operating without a key permit. (Associated Press)
POLICY:
• Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm says she is “obsessed with creating good-paying jobs in America” during her confirmation hearing for U.S. energy secretary that focused on her clean energy priorities. (NPR, Detroit Free Press)
• An Indiana House committee votes to extend the state’s energy policy task force for two years, though Democrats are raising concerns about the future makeup of the task force. (Indiana Public Media)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: President Biden’s plan to electrify the federal government’s vehicle fleet could take at least 10 years yet provide stability to the burgeoning EV market, experts say. (Utility Dive)
RENEWABLES: A southwestern Illinois county zoning board adopts more restrictive regulations on wind and solar projects. (Republic-Times)
GRID: MISO plans to ask federal regulators for more time to create a formal blueprint for opening its market to distributed energy resource aggregators. (RTO Insider, subscription)
SOLAR: A developer pitches plans for an 850-acre solar project in southeastern Michigan. (Monroe News)
UTILITIES: DTE Energy launches a new program allowing customers to purchase carbon offsets and renewable natural gas. (CBS Detroit)
COMMENTARY:
• Minnesota Democratic lawmakers urge President Biden to direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to revoke a key water crossing permit for the Line 3 pipeline. (Star Tribune)
• Governors in Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois have an opportunity to showcase clean energy plans this year’s state of the state addresses, advocates say. (Union of Concerned Scientists)