OHIO: A federal judge abruptly ends a court hearing after a FirstEnergy attorney refuses to disclose the name of a senior executive who oversaw bribe payments to a dark money group. (Associated Press)
ALSO: The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio will not allow the state’s consumer advocate to subpoena an auditor as it seeks information about financial allegations surrounding FirstEnergy. (Toledo Blade)
SOLAR:
• Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signs a bill into law that will make it harder for homeowners associations to prohibit residents from installing solar panels. (Indianapolis Star)
• A nearly 50-acre Illinois solar project first approved in 2018 may be back on track as it qualifies for a new round of state renewable energy incentives. (Kankakee Daily Journal)
• A southwestern Chicago suburb joins an area community solar program that will allow homes and businesses to offset their electricity usage with solar. (Times of Northwest Indiana)
• Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm will visit a large Michigan manufacturer of solar panel components to highlight the domestic clean energy industry. (MLive)
PIPELINES: While Republicans call for reviving the Keystone XL pipeline, the developer says it will not proceed after pulling infrastructure and ending permits for the canceled project. (South Dakota Public Broadcasting)
COAL:
• The Indiana Supreme Court overturns part of a Duke Energy rate increase approved in 2020, saying it could not retroactively recover more than $200 million in costs to shut down coal ash ponds. (WISH)
• The North Dakota Public Service Commission receives more than $2.8 million in federal funding to reclaim and repurpose abandoned coal mines. (KFYR)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Electric truck startup Rivian reported a $4.7 billion net loss in 2021 as various supply chain delays hampered vehicle production. (Forbes)
• The Missouri House passes legislation that would prohibit cities from adopting building codes that require businesses to install electric vehicle chargers unless the municipality pays for them. (Missouri Independent)
• An Indiana University environmental economist says switching to electric vehicles would make the U.S. more energy independent from a turbulent oil market. (Indiana Public Media)
UTILITIES: DTE Energy Executive Chairman Gerry Anderson will retire this summer after 30 years with the company. (Detroit News)
OIL & GAS: An Indigenous leader in Wisconsin compares oil pipelines and U.S. fossil fuel demand to heroin addiction: “We’re hooked on oil. We’re hooked on gas. We’re hooked on degrading our world.” (Racine Journal Times)
BIOFUELS: A Twin Cities-area company that sells cooking oil to 32,000 commercial kitchens across the country then retrieves it to be used as a biodiesel feedstock is seeing strong growth. (Star Tribune)