OHIO:
• State Rep. Bill Seitz played a key role in the state’s power plant subsidy law that aimed to gut clean energy standards and he has maintained opposition to repealing it in the wake of the HB 6 bribery scandal. (Eye on Ohio / Energy News Network)
• State regulators late last month ordered a new audit of FirstEnergy to determine whether the utility improperly funneled ratepayer money into an effort to pass HB 6. (Eye on Ohio / Energy News Network)
• House Speaker Bob Cupp says it is “still a high priority on our agenda to find a solution” on whether to repeal and replace the state’s power plant subsidy law. (Toledo Blade)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: EV startup Rivian is close to raising a new round of funding from investors that would value the company at about $25 billion. (Bloomberg)

NUCLEAR: An updated report by the Illinois AFL-CIO says ratepayers statewide would pay $313 million more annually with the early retirement of two nuclear plants. (WIFR)

SOLAR:
• Developers are planning a 56 MW solar plus storage installation at an Illinois data center. (Solar Power World)
• A dozen rural electric cooperatives in Kansas invest in 20 MW worth of solar projects across the state. (WIBW)

RENEWABLES: A North Dakota electric cooperative signed power purchase agreements last year for about 500 MW of new wind and solar generation, including projects in South Dakota and North Dakota. (Daily Energy Insider)

COAL: State and local officials celebrate a $500,000 grant to remove coal piles from the mouth of the Fox River in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (WBAY)

COMMENTARY:
• Clean energy advocates say states and cities “will continue to be vital” in passing climate change policies, including building on efforts over the past year in the Midwest. (Natural Resources Defense Council)
• A former Iowa lawmaker says a stronger clean energy commitment is essential now that the state’s only nuclear plant has shut down. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)