GRID:
• Michigan’s Public Service Commission will conduct a formal inquiry into recent widespread power outages, noting that climate change will make extreme weather events more common in the future. (Michigan Radio)
• Ann Arbor, Michigan officials held a meeting this week to share the benefits of solar panels backed up by batteries to protect against power outages. (MLive)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The new CEO of embattled Lordstown Motors says his top priority is ensuring the company’s Endurance pickup truck is successfully launched. (Reuters)

PIPELINES: Documents show that Enbridge coordinated with law enforcement agencies on how to respond to opponents of the Line 3 project. (The Intercept)

CLIMATE: A secret recording of an Exxon lobbyist admitting the company spent millions on “shadow groups” to undermine climate science is submitted as a brief in a Minnesota climate change lawsuit. (E&E News) 

NATURAL GAS:
• Advocates in a historic Black farming community in Illinois are opposing plans to bring more natural gas to the area, saying the state should pursue renewable energy instead. (Grist)
• DTE Energy opens a new service hub near Grand Rapids to support its $3.5 billion natural gas pipeline upgrade project. (Daily Energy Insider)
• A Wisconsin co-op purchases an existing natural gas plant to replace generation from a recently retired coal plant. (Kenosha News)

HYDROGEN: A new 485 MW Ohio power plant that mixes natural gas with hydrogen as fuel source “has somewhat flown under the radar” but is now attracting global attention. (Ohio Capital Journal)

SOLAR: Consumers Energy enters an agreement to buy 30 MW of solar power from a project on a former Michigan golf course. (Midland Daily News)

WIND:
• A wind developer is suing an Illinois county, saying officials “had no legal or factual basis” to withhold permits for its proposed wind farm. (Bloomington Pantagraph)
• Landowners who signed leases for a proposed Iowa wind farm say they’ve been left in the dark about the status of the project but are still receiving payments. (Globe Gazette)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• Minnesota’s clean energy workforce is more diverse than the state’s labor force as a whole, according to a new report. (Sahan Journal)
• A new report shows Indiana’s clean energy industry remains robust despite pandemic setbacks. (Herald Bulletin)

COMMENTARY:
• An editorial board says an Ohio efficiency bill is a good step, but “doesn’t absolve the General Assembly for continuing to duck unfinished business – the full repeal of House Bill 6.” (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• A conservative group says the benefits of shutting down the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac don’t outweigh the costs. (Mackinac Center for Public Policy)

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Ken Paulman

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.