OHIO: Local officials in counties with nuclear power plants bailed out by state legislation now at the center of an alleged bribery scheme push back on efforts to repeal the law. (Toledo Blade)

ALSO: Delaying payments to a law firm involved in a former FirstEnergy subsidiary’s bankruptcy proceeding adds to the pressure on the utility. (Utility Dive)

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GRID:
• Strategically cutting energy use and allowing utilities to act as conductors rather than power providers could help decarbonize the power sector while creating jobs, a recent report says. (Wisconsin State Journal)
• A coalition says Michigan utilities need to better prepare for distributed generation instead of focusing solely on the traditional distribution system. (Michigan Radio)

PIPELINES:
• The GOP-controlled Minnesota Senate will hold a performance review of the state’s commerce commissioner after the state announced plans to appeal a ruling in favor of the Line 3 pipeline. (Duluth News Tribune)
• Advocates say it’s “decision time” for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to use her authority to decommission the Line 5 pipeline through Michigan. (WCMU)
• North Dakota may proceed with efforts to recoup tens of millions of dollars it spent to police the Dakota Access pipeline protests nearly four years ago. (Associated Press) 

CLEAN ENERGY: Proposed legislation in Illinois seeks to repurpose former coal plant sites with clean energy projects. (WMBD)

SOLAR:
• Northwestern Indiana county officials advance a policy change that would authorize commercial solar projects on agricultural land. (Times of Northwestern Indiana)
• A $90 million solar project planned in northeastern Michigan would include pollinator habitat, developers say. (UpNorthLive)
• A proposed solar project in northwestern Indiana could also help fund a community revitalization project. (WKVI)

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OIL & GAS: Oil-producing states like North Dakota prepare for budget cuts as the pandemic dampens the industry. (E&E News, subscription)

COMMENTARY:
• An editorial board says Illinois will face climate change harm by recent Trump administration efforts to roll back environmental regulations, including lifting restrictions on methane emissions. (Chicago Sun-Times)
• Ten years after being responsible for a major inland oil spill in Michigan, Enbridge can’t be trusted to protect the Great Lakes from Line 5, a former congressman writes. (Traverse City Record-Eagle)
• Advocates say climate change should be a key factor in blocking a proposed tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac and ultimately shutting down the Line 5 pipeline. (Bridge Magazine)
• Repealing HB 6 in Ohio is a “crucial first step toward righting this eye-popping wrong,” says clean energy developer Jigar Shah. (Cincinnati Enquirer)