PIPELINES: Activists chain themselves to bulldozers, excavators and other equipment as hundreds of people trespass on Enbridge property to protest Line 3 pipeline construction in northern Minnesota. (MPR News)
NUCLEAR: Three Exelon nuclear plants in Illinois fail to clear grid operator PJM’s recent capacity auction, losing to other power plants and generation sources as the company seeks subsidies to keep the plants open. (Utility Dive)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Consumers Energy launches a pilot program for businesses that offers rebates and consultation for electric vehicle fleet charging. (MiBiz)
• Cleveland-area officials say the region’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure continues to grow. (Cleveland.com)
• Local officials discuss the supply chain and workforce development potential of the electric vehicle industry in eastern Ohio. (Business Journal)
• Achieving Uber’s and Lyft’s electric vehicle targets will require a dramatic increase in charging stations in low-income areas, according to a new study. (E&E News, subscription)
OIL & GAS: The U.S. became a net exporter of oil in 2020 following an Obama-era policy, complicating efforts to reduce emissions. (Rolling Stone)
BIOFUELS: Officials in Kalamazoo, Michigan approve a $125,000 contract to begin transitioning the city’s vehicle fleet to run on biofuels. (MLive)
RENEWABLES: University of Wisconsin researchers are in the midst of several clean energy research projects they say will benefit the environment and job growth. (Up North News)
UTILITIES:
• Utilities have until July 30 to submit proposals to oversee Chicago’s electric distribution system as negotiations between the city and ComEd remain at a standstill. (WTTW)
• Michigan’s attorney general says DTE Energy’s requested $195 million rate increase for gas infrastructure upgrades should only be $19 million. (WJRT)
COAL: A city in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula receives valuable property along Lake Superior from We Energies after the utility shuttered a coal plant there two years ago. (WLUC)
COMMENTARY:
• An Ohio farmer says proposed state legislation giving local governments more authority over renewable energy projects adds uncertainty to landowners’ ability to diversify their income. (Columbus Dispatch)
• Biofuels remain as a key component to reduce transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions, says a Wisconsin farming advocate. (Capital Times)