PIPELINES: The Biden administration is reconsidering a penalty against a North Dakota pipeline owner for trespassing on tribal land after it was dramatically reduced by the Trump administration. (Inside Climate News)
ALSO:
• An environmental review concludes the Line 3 pipeline would increase Minnesota’s greenhouse gas emissions but state regulators disagree with the assessment. (Star Tribune)
• Activists grow increasingly concerned about Line 3 construction reaching the Mississippi River as temperatures increase and ice melts. (NBC News)
• The Keystone XL pipeline has been halted, but a criminal case against two protesters continues in South Dakota, where Cheyenne River Sioux activists maintain a small protest camp and residents hold nuanced views on the project’s cancellation. (Rapid City Journal)
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EMISSIONS: The Nebraska Public Power District could drastically reduce carbon emissions over the next three decades at little or no cost to ratepayers, a pair of studies produced for the utility find. (Energy News Network)
GEOTHERMAL: A new geothermal project in Minneapolis that will use existing underground water as a kind of thermal storage system would be among the first in the U.S. (MinnPost)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Illinois auto dealers are suing the state and electric vehicle startup Rivian for selling vehicles directly to customers. (Chicago Tribune)
COAL: A proposed amendment would change an Indiana law to allow the state to approve coal ash waste permits rather than the U.S. EPA. (WFYI)
SOLAR: A Minnesota township adopts a moratorium on solar projects after a series of plans move forward. (Mankato Free Press)
WIND:
• Some southeastern Kansas residents support a proposed bill calling for more restrictive statewide wind energy regulations, citing concerns with developments that have already taken place. (Morning Sun)
• Minnesota regulators approve a power purchase agreement between Xcel Energy and a 200 MW Iowa wind project that the utility calls the “last good-priced” wind available in MISO’s territory. (RTO Insider, subscription)
CLEAN ENERGY: North Dakota environmental activists raise concerns about a proposed state clean energy fund they argue would prop up privately owned fossil fuel companies. (Inforum)
NUCLEAR: A physicians group seeks to block the 20-year license extension proposed for Wisconsin’s only nuclear plant. (Wisconsin State Journal)
RENEWABLES:
• Michigan’s 15% renewable portfolio standard levels off this year, though utilities and some advocates say lower costs and consumer demand are driving investments far beyond state mandates. (MiBiz)
• Indiana lawmakers face an April 8 deadline to pass a bill creating statewide siting regulations for wind and solar projects. (The Republic)
TRANSPORTATION: The North Dakota Senate votes against increasing the state’s gasoline tax to help pay for infrastructure projects. (Inforum)
BIOFUELS: Nebraska lawmakers advance legislation that would bar ethanol plants from using chemically treated seed corn in response to a facility in the state under scrutiny for the practice. (Associated Press)
TRANSMISSION: Grid operators MISO and Southwest Power Pool won’t take on a major interregional transmission study this year, officials announced last week. (RTO Insider, subscription)
COMMENTARY: A top state GOP lawmaker in Indiana says a bill creating statewide regulations for wind and solar projects would still benefit local communities and drive renewable energy development. (Indianapolis Star)