EMISSIONS: Attorneys general from Illinois, Minnesota, and three other states call on the Biden administration to exceed global standards designed to curb greenhouse gas emissions from flights. (Reuters)
ALSO: Stay-at-home orders issued at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted noticeable declines in transportation-related air pollution in Wisconsin, though the reductions were short lived. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
CLEAN ENERGY: President Biden was in Michigan yesterday promoting plans for a $1 trillion infrastructure bill and a $3.5 trillion budget plan that would bolster clean energy and job training investments. (Michigan Advance)
STORAGE: An Ohio startup uses high temperature molten salt as a critical piece of its large-scale energy storage technology. (Centered)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: General Motors announces plans for an electric vehicle battery research and development center in southeastern Michigan as part of the company’s strategy to reduce electric vehicle and battery costs. (Detroit News)
PIPELINES: A Michigan researcher says the recent California offshore pipeline spill underscores the risk of the Line 5 pipeline in Michigan, which was hit by anchor strikes twice in the past three years. (WOOD-TV)
WIND: South Dakota landowners argue before the state Supreme Court that regulators should not have granted a wind project permit without first requiring easements from non-participating property owners. (South Dakota Public Broadcasting)
SOLAR: A school district in St. Paul, Minnesota, plans to convene a task force to explore the potential for solar to reduce its climate footprint. (Pioneer Press)
UTILITIES:
• Michigan regulators hold a public hearing on Consumers Energy’s long-term clean energy plan, which some advocates say doesn’t transition from fossil fuels fast enough. (Midland Daily News)
• A state representative from Ann Arbor, Michigan, promotes the publicly owned utility model and says the state’s major investor-owned utilities should be held accountable during grid outages. (Michigan Daily)
• CenterPoint Energy officials say the company’s plan to build two natural gas combustion turbines in Indiana is part of its broader strategy that includes more renewables. (WFIE)
OIL & GAS: An investigation is ongoing into a spill of more than 9,000 gallons of produced water at a North Dakota saltwater disposal facility. (Grand Forks Herald)
COMMENTARY:
• Missouri ratepayers, who pay less for electricity than customers in most states, should expect to pay higher bills to support Ameren’s investments in clean energy, which an editorial board calls the “price of progress.” (Missourian)
• A Missouri columnist says ratepayers will likely be on the hook to cover costs of an Ameren wind project that is idle at night to protect bird species. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)