POLICY: Disagreements between labor and environmental advocates stall a deal on a sweeping Illinois clean energy bill that included $700 million in subsidies for three nuclear plants and would have set a timeline for shuttering a major coal plant. (Chicago Tribune)
SOLAR:
• Indiana has already doubled its statewide solar capacity this year and is expected to see the third highest increase in megawatts from large-scale projects in the country. (WFYI)
• Officials in Dane County, Wisconsin, will hold informal listening sessions on a proposed large-scale solar and battery storage project. (News & Independent)
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OHIO:
• Coal plant operators claim upcoming payments under Ohio’s power plant bailout law aren’t subsidies but rather a hedge against future market volatility. (Ohio Capital Journal)
• Former House Speaker Larry Householder maintains his innocence in response to lawmakers’ attempt to expel him over his alleged role in the ongoing bribery scandal. (WTHR)
• A federal judge allows FirstEnergy shareholders to access documents related to other lawsuits and investigations the utility is facing in connection to the bribery scandal. (Reuters)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Ohio electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors says production is still on track to start this fall despite a management shakeup this week and warnings that the company may not be in business within a year. (Associated Press)
OIL & GAS: A federal judge blocks the Biden administration’s pause on oil and gas leasing on public lands and waters, saying the challenging states could face significant economic harm. (Reuters)
BIOFUELS:
• A growing number of companies seek to partner with Nebraska ethanol plants to capture and store carbon emissions underground. (Omaha World-Herald)
• City officials in northeastern Nebraska agree to pay $500,000 to settle 16 lawsuits filed against a former biofuels plant and the city by homeowners living near the facility. (Sioux City Journal)
PIPELINES: An encampment in northern Minnesota disbands after eight days of protesting the Line 3 replacement and expansion. (MPR News)
COMMENTARY:
• A Wisconsin public health advocate says a nuclear plant along Lake Michigan is unsafe and should be replaced with renewables and energy efficiency. (Wisconsin State Journal)
• Additional funding is needed for Wisconsin’s energy efficiency program to help achieve the state’s carbon-free power goal by 2050, says the chairperson of the state’s Public Service Commission. (Agri-View)