RENEWABLES: An Ohio Senate committee is set to take up legislation today that would give townships unprecedented control over wind and solar development. (Energy News Network)
UTILITIES: Minnesota utilities dispute a state agency’s analysis that accuses the companies of mismanaging natural gas supplies during February’s arctic cold blast. (Star Tribune)
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PIPELINES:
• The Dakota Access pipeline is in a much stronger position to continue operating after a recent court ruling and the Biden administration’s decision not to seek further intervention. (S&P Global)
• A federal judge denies North Dakota’s request to intervene in the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s case against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ over the Dakota Access pipeline. (Bismarck Tribune)
• The Line 5 pipeline was built in the early 1950s when the U.S. was pursuing alternatives to shipping oil by tanker vessels, historians explain. (UpNorthLive)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors says production of its Endurance truck this year will be half of prior expectations as the company seeks additional capital to execute its plans. (Reuters)
• Indiana will distribute $5.5 million in Volkswagen settlement funds to utilities to build electric vehicle charging stations. (WFYI)
SOLAR:
• Construction is set to begin on a planned solar project in northwestern Illinois. (Star Courier)
• The University of Illinois is in the final stages of a solar project that includes planting pollinator habitat at the Urbana-Champaign campus. (Daily Illini)
BIOFUELS: Iowa lawmakers and industry groups are expected to resume negotiations this summer over a proposed statewide biofuels mandate that failed to pass this legislative session. (KMALand)
EMISSIONS: Next week is the one-year anniversary of Ann Arbor, Michigan’s community-wide carbon neutrality plan. (MLive)
OIL & GAS: U.S. House lawmakers are set to consider bills this week that would enhance efforts to clean up abandoned coal mines and plug orphaned oil and gas wells. (E&E News, subscription)
COMMENTARY:
• High costs and a lack of charging infrastructure are slowing deployment of electric vehicles, says a Missouri environmental advocate. (Columbia Missourian)
• Indigenous author and activist Winona LaDuke says pipeline protests against Enbridge in Minnesota and Michigan share similarities. (Inforum)