COAL:
• Ohio utility customers spent $51 million to bail out uneconomic coal plants in the first half of 2021 as lawmakers fail to fully repeal a state law at the center of a bribery scandal. (Ohio Capital Journal)
• Indiana regulators will consider a proposed settlement between utilities, local governments and environmental groups that calls for the complete closure of the Rockport coal plant by 2028. (Indiana Environmental Reporter)
PIPELINES:
• Michigan officials ask a federal judge to block the disclosure of details of mediation sessions between the state and Enbridge over the Line 5 pipeline, which have yet to produce an agreement between the two parties. (Detroit News)
• Federal regulators allow a St. Louis natural gas pipeline to continue operating for another 90 days, though the pipeline owner has vowed to take its case to the U.S. Supreme Court to prove the project is necessary. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• Northern Wisconsin residents express concerns over potential water pollution from the Line 5 pipeline if Enbridge is allowed to keep operating it. (WUWM)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Commercial production begins on Rivian’s electric truck at the company’s central Illinois manufacturing plant. (WGLT)
WIND: A county board in central Kansas approves a moratorium on new wind projects at least through the end of the year as they draft zoning regulations. (Hutchinson News)
MINNESOTA: A recent poll of nearly 2,000 registered Minnesota voters found a majority supporting the state’s new Clean Cars rule — and the Line 3 pipeline project. (MinnPost)
SOLAR:
• Solar installations are on the rise and will likely continue to grow in southern Illinois thanks to new clean energy legislation. (KFVS)
• Developers eye 800 acres in northeastern Ohio for a roughly 150 MW solar project. (Canton Repository)
• A northern Michigan utility plans to purchase more than half of the output from a planned 20 MW solar project to help meet its clean energy targets. (9 and 10 News)
• An Indiana county planning commission recommends a six-month moratorium on new large-scale solar projects as officials craft new zoning regulations. (Herald Bulletin)
POLICY: American Electric Power officials claim President Biden’s signature climate plan would force utilities to transition to clean energy too rapidly and while harming grid reliability. (E&E News, subscription)
CLEAN TECH: A West Michigan startup plans to offer combined home energy storage and electric vehicle systems in a subscription-based model that uses recycled batteries. (MiBiz)
CARBON CAPTURE: Iowa farmers and residents express concerns about how a proposed $4.5 billion carbon pipeline project could affect their land. (Ames Tribune)
OIL & GAS: Officials are still trying to determine the cause of a recent oil leak into an Ohio lake. (Marietta Times)