COAL ASH: Illinois environmental and community groups say proposed statewide coal ash regulations are far too lax to protect water, communities and workers. (Energy News Network)

OHIO:
• The Ohio House of Representatives withholds dozens of records from federal investigators and the public involving a law at the center of a bribery scandal, citing attorney-client privilege. (Cleveland.com)
• The Ohio power plant bailout bribery scandal is a rare instance where federal prosecutors have brought criminal charges against people associated with “dark money” political groups. (E&E News, subscription)
• A bankruptcy judge delays approving millions of dollars in fees and expenses for a former FirstEnergy subsidiary in light of the power plant bribery scandal, a utility watchdog group reports. (Energy and Policy Institute)

***SPONSORED LINK: The ESA Annual Energy Storage Conference & Expo (#ESACon20) is a true 360-degree conference experience – gone digital. Featuring one-on-one conversations and interactions, keynotes and educational content, demos of real projects from exhibitors in the eMarketplace, and more. Use code ENN2020VTL for 5% off. ***

UTILITIES: Ohio utilities are preparing to resume customer disconnections in the coming weeks that had been put on hold in March, which experts say will disproportionately impact low-income residents and people of color. (Energy News Network)

PIPELINES: For the first time, Michigan tribes will have a chance to formally assert their treaty rights in a case before state regulators involving relocating the Line 5 pipeline into a tunnel. (MiBiz)

CLIMATE:
• The Trump administration formally lifts Obama-era regulations on methane emissions at a time when researchers say the pollution could be driving climate change faster than expected. (New York Times)
• The move was opposed by several leading oil and gas companies, while one researcher says: “We are effectively telling the rest of the world we don’t care about climate change.” (InsideClimate News)

EQUITY: Community groups in southeast Chicago file a civil rights complaint accusing the city of pushing heavy industry into Black and Latino communities and deepening housing discrimination and segregation. (E&E News)

GRID: Grid operator MISO is juggling transmission planning activities as a record number of interconnection requests come in. (RTO Insider, subscription)

TRANSPORTATION: Officials announce plans for a connected and autonomous vehicle corridor connecting Detroit and Ann Arbor in southeastern Michigan. (Detroit News)

***SPONSORED LINK: Register today for emPOWER20 August 26-28, emPOWER is a virtual experience with 30 sessions and 40+ hours of content designed to foster a new kind of energy leadership. Join experts across the clean energy industry in finance, policy, and technology.*** 

EMISSIONS: German automaker Daimler agrees to pay $2.2 billion to settle accusations that some of its cars and vans sold in the U.S. were programmed to cheat on emissions tests. (New York Times)

COMMENTARY:
• Clean energy can support indoor farming’s growth by lowering costs and carbon emissions, while cannabis cultivation can be one of the first markets to deploy the technologies, energy efficiency advocates say. (Energy News Network)
• An Iowa state senator says wind energy is “affordable, reliable, and good for the economy, all while reducing our carbon footprint.” (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
• Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland says the bailout law’s weakening of the state’s clean energy policies has been an “appalling demonstration” of favoring special interests over residents. (Columbus Dispatch)