OHIO:
• An Ohio judge who oversees utility cases withdraws himself from four proceedings involving legislation at the center of a criminal corruption investigation that he helped write. (Ohio Capital Journal)
• Gov. Mike DeWine reappoints a Public Utilities Commission member who has helped oversee FirstEnergy rate increases that have been the focus of recent critical audits. (Ohio Capital Journal)
COAL:
• While U.S. power plants have slashed mercury emissions over the past decade, North Dakota’s coal fleet continues to emit a disproportionate share. (Inforum)
• A proposed settlement would require Indiana utility NIPSCO to spend $12 million to clean up coal ash-contaminated soil near a national park along Lake Michigan. (WISH)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Michigan-based commercial electric vehicle producer Electric Last Mile Solutions will lay off about a quarter of its staff to focus on its core business. (Reuters)
SOLAR:
• A company is in the early stages of a planned large-scale solar and energy storage project near its existing wind turbines in central Illinois. (WCBU)
• A local solar group-buying cooperative aims to reduce upfront costs for solar installations in a nine-county region of Ohio. (Dayton Daily News)
WIND:
• A local anti-wind group expands its signature-gathering operation in an effort to stop a proposed 60-turbine wind project in northern Ohio. (Telegraph Forum)
• The Michigan Court of Appeals rules that a county airport board improperly denied variances for eight new wind turbines near an airport. (RTO Insider, subscription)
OIL & GAS:
• Indiana residents continue to pay for the costs associated with a four-year-old natural gas plant that has sat idle for nearly 14 months. (Indianapolis Star)
• State, industry, tribal and environmental advocates from North Dakota weigh in on the Biden administration’s plan to curb carbon emissions. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Two oil and gas industry groups seek to pause enforcement of a new federal rule requiring companies to better monitor pipelines in sensitive coastal or shoreline areas such as the Great Lakes. (Michigan Radio)
• North Dakota’s U.S. senators use Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to promote more oil and gas activity and pipeline projects in the Upper Midwest. (Sidney Herald)
BIOGAS: U.S. gas utilities plan to connect a growing amount of renewable natural gas supplies to their distribution networks this year as customer demand increases. (S&P Global)
CARBON CAPTURE: Some Nebraska landowners are backing legislation that would provide additional protections from pipeline companies developing carbon pipelines on their property. (Nebraska Examiner)
BIOFUELS: Nebraska lawmakers consider a proposal to create a special committee to investigate a former ethanol plant that has been shuttered after leaving behind contaminated wastewater. (Lincoln Journal Star)
COMMENTARY: Legislation that would significantly limit solar energy production on Iowa farmland risks additional jobs, investments and grid stability, clean energy advocates say. (Des Moines Register)