OHIO: State lawmakers introduce resolutions to expel former House Speaker Larry Householder, who was arrested last year on federal bribery and racketeering charges related to the state’s scandal-tainted power plant bailout law. (Columbus Dispatch)

ALSO: Cleveland’s city council president signs three subpoenas related to the nonprofit entity involved in passing the power plant subsidy law. (WKYC)

***SPONSORED LINK: The Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition via Fresh Energy is hiring for a Manager of Building Policy and Technology consultant to support policy and technology solutions. Apply before June 1.***

NATURAL GAS: Michigan lawmakers consider a preemptive ban on local ordinances that limit the use of natural gas connections and appliances in residential and commercial buildings as part of electrification efforts. (MiBiz)

WIND:
• North Dakota ranked as a leading state for wind power development in the first quarter of 2021, according to an industry group report. (Devils Lake Journal)
• Developer NextEra Energy expresses a willingness to pay $11.5 million to repair roads in connection to a South Dakota wind project. (Watertown Public Opinion)

UTILITIES: An analysis identifies nearly $350,000 in ComEd grants to a dozen nonprofit groups that formally lobbied for company-backed legislation in Illinois, including groups whose boards include ComEd executives. (WBEZ)

CLEAN TECH: The Department of Energy is pursuing pilot projects, including one in North Dakota, to extract rare metals from coal ash for use in clean energy components like batteries and wind turbines. (Grist)

SOLAR:
• A Minnesota college considers a 1.4 MW solar carport project that’s expected to reduce its carbon emissions by a quarter. (Winona Daily News)
• An Ohio city considers installing solar panels on vacant lots to power municipal facilities. (WKBN)
• County officials in Iowa hold informational sessions with residents about the potential for utility-scale solar projects. (KWWL)
• Indiana emerges as an unlikely solar hot spot as 22,000 MW of new capacity is proposed, though organized opposition is building in some parts of the state. (E&E News, subscription)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• Kansas officials say clean energy has brought “remarkable economic opportunity” as a new initiative seeks to bring more projects to the state. (WIBW)
• A 10-year, $10 trillion federal infrastructure proposal would help southeastern Michigan cities build clean energy projects, advocates say. (Michigan Advance)

BIOFUELS: Researchers pursue new forms of oilseed crops that could play a larger role in biofuel production. (Reuters)

HYDROELECTRIC: Consumers Energy plans upgrades at three hydroelectric dams in Michigan that will improve safety and recreational opportunities. (News-Herald)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: President Biden plans to rely on ally countries to supply the bulk of the metals needed to build electric vehicles while focusing on processing the materials into battery parts domestically. (Reuters)

COAL: Federal workplace safety regulators propose nearly $200,000 in fines for two contractors involved in a coal-fired power plant demolition in Ohio last year that killed two workers. (WCPO)

COMMENTARY: An Illinois union official says thousands of jobs are on the line with the planned premature closing of at least two nuclear power plants. (Chicago Sun-Times)