POLLUTION: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visits abandoned mine and oil well sites in Ohio, which is eligible for more than $50 million in federal cleanup funding that officials say promotes justice and jobs. (Energy News Network)
ALSO: Minnesota’s air quality is improving, though air pollution still contributes to early deaths and hospitalizations and disproportionately impacts communities with existing health disparities. (MPR News)
CARBON CAPTURE: Carbon capture technology has received unprecedented funding from the federal government, though climate experts remain divided over whether it’s a valuable tool or a distraction in the effort to reduce emissions. (Inside Climate News)
CLEAN ENERGY:
• Backers of a previously rejected ballot initiative to raise millions of dollars for clean energy projects in Columbus, Ohio, are reviving the proposal. (Columbus Dispatch)
• Accounting for the capacity value of clean energy resources would lower both costs and greenhouse gas emissions if accounted for in grid operator PJM’s markets, according to a new study. (Utility Dive)
• The Ukraine conflict reignites a decades-old argument over U.S. energy independence and the role clean energy should play in it. (Inside Climate News)
• Indiana environmental advocates say a federal carbon tax and dividend and updated energy efficiency building codes would help ensure emission reductions. (WFYI)
OHIO: State Attorney General Dave Yost seeks to resume a civil lawsuit against FirstEnergy and others involved in the HB 6 scandal because criminal cases on the matter have pressed forward. (Cleveland.com)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Stellantis — the parent company of Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler — forms two joint partnerships with Korean battery suppliers to build capacity for North American electric vehicle production. (Supply Chain Dive)
• General Motors partners with Pacific Gas and Electric to test the use of electric vehicles as on-demand power sources in the utility’s California service territory. (Detroit Free Press)
SOLAR:
• A central Iowa county approves a six-month moratorium on utility-scale solar projects. (KDLS)
• County officials consider proposals for two solar garden projects west of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro region. (Hutchinson Leader)
• A study commissioned by a solar trade group says Michigan utility customers could save hundreds of dollars per year through 2050 under more aggressive solar and storage buildouts and more efficient heating technologies. (PV Magazine)
NUCLEAR: Federal nuclear regulators are in southwestern Michigan today to discuss their role in the upcoming decommissioning of a nuclear power plant there. (South Haven Tribune)
COMMENTARY:
• As a growing number of Ohio companies set emission-reduction and renewable energy targets, “being strategic about where this renewable energy buildout occurs is essential,” says a conservation advocate. (Ohio Capital Journal)
• A Nebraska state senator touts his proposed legislation that would incentivize public power organizations to keep coal plants operating. (North Platte Telegraph)