EMISSIONS: Minnesota becomes the first state in the Midwest to adopt stricter tailpipe emissions standards and require automakers to put more zero-emission vehicles on sales lots. (Star Tribune)
OHIO:
• Under an agreement with federal prosecutors, FirstEnergy will reevaluate previous denials that ratepayer money was used to fund a $60 million bribery scheme to win favorable legislation. (Associated Press)
• Gov. Mike DeWine seeks to distance himself from former Public Utilities Commission Chair Sam Randazzo, who DeWine said “everybody knew” had previously worked for FirstEnergy when he appointed him. (Ohio Capital Journal)
SOLAR:
• A conservative-led alliance seeks to expand community solar in Wisconsin, though proposed legislation faces opposition from utilities and business groups. (Energy News Network)
• Construction is expected to be completed next year on a 300 MW solar project in southwestern Wisconsin. (WTMJ)
• County officials seek to be formally involved in the state’s approval process of a proposed utility-scale solar project near Dayton, Ohio. (Dayton Daily News)
• Local officials in Iowa decline to endorse plans for a 3,500-acre solar project on designated conservation land. (KCRG)
• An Iowa school district expects to save up to $11,000 a year on energy costs after installing solar panels on several schools. (The Hawk Eye)
COAL: The U.S. EPA plans to set stricter requirements for how coal plants dispose of toxic wastewater into rivers, lakes and streams in an attempt to undo Trump administration rollbacks. (Washington Post)
PIPELINES:
• Police arrest 29 people who were protesting the Line 3 pipeline at an encampment in northern Minnesota. (KFGO)
• A Minnesota sheriff plans to appeal a judge’s order that local police must stop blocking access to property used as a camp for Line 3 protesters. (KVRR)
• Enbridge retrieves a 15,000-pound anchor that a contractor left near the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. (Detroit News)
HYDROELECTRIC: The recent retrofit of an Iowa dam is one of dozens of projects over the past 20 years to turn facilities into hydroelectric power producers. (Yale Environment 360)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Struggling Ohio electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors receives a $400 million investment from a hedge fund as the company seeks to start production this fall. (Associated Press)
• Indiana officials will partner with Purdue University on a pilot program to test pavement that charges electric vehicles as they drive on it. (CNET)
GRID: The rolling outages during February’s cold weather snap were largely driven by fuel shortages, particularly in natural gas, according to Southwest Power Pool officials. (Missouri Independent)
OIL & GAS: Federal and state officials aren’t doing enough to regulate the radioactive substances used in hydraulic fracturing, according to a recent Natural Resources Defense Council report. (Ohio Capital Journal)
WIND:
• A Michigan lawmaker is working on legislation to address local disputes over wind turbine valuations that can reduce tax revenue to local governments. (Greenville Daily News)
• Indiana’s proximity to Lake Michigan as well as its location between two major power grids make it an ideal state for wind development, experts say. (Indianapolis Star)