OHIO: Gov. Mike DeWine shifts course and calls for the state’s nuclear bailout law at the center of a $60 million bribery scandal to be repealed and replaced through a process the “public can have full confidence in.” (Toledo Blade)
ALSO:
• Clean energy advocates say repealing HB 6 would be a start, but more reforms are needed to address lawmakers’ yearslong effort to prevent the growth of renewables in the state. (Energy News Network)
• FirstEnergy CEO Charles Jones, whose role in the controversy is unclear, says in a quarterly earnings call that the company “acted ethically” in connection to the legislation. (E&E News, Cleveland.com)
• The freshman Republican sponsor of HB 6 who was appointed to an energy committee chairmanship after taking office says he feels “betrayed” by the alleged actions to get the bill passed. (WOIO)
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ILLINOIS: During ComEd’s eight-year bribery scheme in Illinois, the amount of state-approved revenue the utility collected to deliver power increased more than 30%, according to an analysis. (WBEZ)
PIPELINES: Vessels performing work for Enbridge’s planned tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac may have recently damaged a portion of the Line 5 pipeline. (Detroit News)
UTILITIES: Wisconsin regulators extend a statewide moratorium on utility disconnections until September 1, citing COVID-19 concerns. (Wisconsin State Journal)
COAL:
• Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois proposes a plan to help transition coal-reliant communities that includes expanding Medicare to laid-off coal workers and guaranteeing free higher education to miners and their families. (Reuters)
• The closing of a major North Dakota coal plant has reignited tension in the state between fossil fuels and renewable energy. (E&E News, subscription)
OIL & GAS: A study suggests local and state officials in North Dakota should develop a uniform permitting process for radioactive oilfield waste disposal facilities. (Bismarck Tribune)
BIOFUELS: Larry Johnson — a longtime farmer, board member of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and “pivotal figure in the growth of ethanol” — has died. He was 76. (Star Tribune)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Local officials celebrate the opening of an electric vehicle charging station along the I-94 corridor in Minnesota. (Alexandria Echo Press)
COMMENTARY:
• An Ohio editorial board says no one involved in the Ohio nuclear bailout scheme “should be permitted to escape justice.” (Marietta Times)
• A utility watchdog group says Ohio is the “latest example of monopoly utility companies deceiving lawmakers, regulators, and the public to enrich executives and shareholders. (Energy and Policy Institute)
• A former locomotive engineer says shutting down the Dakota Access pipeline would add eight oil trains a day to North Dakota’s rail system and wouldn’t threaten crop shipments. (Bismarck Tribune)