NUCLEAR: The Illinois Senate passes a sweeping clean energy bill that would prevent two Exelon nuclear plants from closing and also set deadlines for coal plant closures. (WCIA)
COAL:
• An equipment failure causes an ash release at an Illinois coal plant, which local environmental activists call an “air pollution spill.” (State Journal-Register)
• PJM is investigating whether the shortage of a mineral used to control emissions from coal plants is limiting generation in the grid operator’s territory. (RTO Insider, subscription)
PIPELINES:
• Opponents plan to continue Line 3 pipeline protests in public and in court even as construction wraps up and legal options to stop the project dwindle. (MPR News)
• A growing number of tribes in recent years have adopted some form of a rights-of-nature law, which is being tested in court in Minnesota over the rights of wild rice amid Line 3 pipeline construction. (MPR News)
SOLAR:
• A small Indiana school district plans to add solar panels as it rebuilds a school’s roof to generate long-term energy savings. (Crothersville Times)
• Preparing nearly 50 million U.S. homes to be equipped with solar panels could cost up to $100 billion, presenting a potential barrier to residential electrification, according to a new report from a research group. (Utility Dive)
• Local officials propose plans for a nearly 8-acre solar project to power a central Wisconsin water treatment facility. (WSAU)
ELECTRIFICATION: A research group predicts as many as 48 million U.S. homes will need electric panel upgrades costing around $2,000 before they can decarbonize, presenting a “$100 billion impediment to residential electrification.” (Utility Dive)
OIL & GAS:
• The Biden administration will comply with a federal court order and allow oil and gas drilling auctions on federal land to continue. (Reuters)
• Oil and gas pipeline operators see major business opportunities with carbon dioxide pipelines to support carbon storage. (Financial Post)
WIND: State regulators approve plans for a 109 MW wind project in southwestern Minnesota. (Daily Energy Insider)
EMISSIONS: The University of Wisconsin is recruiting students to design net zero energy homes that would then be available to Wisconsin residents. (WUWM)
COMMENTARY:
• A Missouri county will likely face long-term costs and missed opportunities with overly restrictive wind energy regulations, a municipal utility board member says. (Columbia Missourian)
• Line 3 pipeline protests will continue to demand that President Biden “live up to his promises and (lift) our voices for climate justice,” a Minnesota environmental advocate says. (Minnesota Reformer)