PIPELINES: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel asks a judge to temporarily shut down the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac after damage to an anchor support was found last week. (Detroit News)
ALSO: Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota are among states opposed to the Trump administration’s new rules to allow rail shipments of liquefied natural gas as court disputes surround pipeline projects. (Associated Press)
***SPONSORED LINK: Center Out: A Strategy for Climate Success will be hosted by the Great Plains Institute on June 25. Join the conversation about how the Midwest can lead the clean energy transformation. Click here for more and to RSVP.***
UTILITIES: An Illinois agreement that extends the state’s moratorium on utility shut-offs and provides nearly $50 million in ratepayer relief could be a model for other states, consumers advocates say. (Energy News Network)
WIND:
• The developer of a pilot offshore wind project in Lake Erie asks state regulators to reconsider a ruling setting dozens of restrictions that could kill the project. (Cleveland.com)
• Local officials in central Kansas agree to revisit regulations for commercial wind projects. (Hutchinson News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Wisconsin regulators approve Xcel Energy’s electric vehicle plan that gives customers the option to have the utility install and maintain charging stations in homes and businesses. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
COAL: Indiana utilities Vectren and NIPSCO plan to shift from coal to mostly renewables in the coming years despite a recent state law that attempts to slow power plant closures. (Indiana Environmental Reporter)
SOLAR:
• Solar panel manufacturing is part of Indigenous author and activist Winona LaDuke’s multi-faceted effort to jumpstart the “next economy.” (Star Tribune)
• Officials announce a 6-acre solar project at a redevelopment in St. Paul, Minnesota, that will accompany a nearby hydroelectric dam. (Star Tribune)
• An environmental group is pushing for legislation that would require new homes to be built with solar panels in 10 states, including Michigan and Minnesota. (PV Magazine)
RENEWABLES: The president of the Nebraska Farmers Union says renewable energy creates jobs, local tax relief and additional income for farmers. (Norfolk Daily News)
OVERSIGHT: Utility regulators from several Midwestern states will serve on a task force focused on emergency preparedness, recovery and resiliency. (Daily Energy Insider)
GRID: Two Indiana utilities receive a combined $22 million in federal loans to bolster grid infrastructure and smart grid technologies. (Inside Indiana Business)
COMMENTARY: A recently approved wind project in northwestern North Dakota will help boost the local economy, says an area economic development director. (Williston Herald)