OIL & GAS: The sponsor of an Iowa bill to prevent cities or counties from regulating natural gas or propane sales says it will likely reach the governor’s desk. (Energy News Network)
ALSO:
• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer releases a plan to maintain propane delivery in the Upper Peninsula if the Line 5 pipeline is shut down. (Bridge Michigan)
• The Biden administration’s canceling of the Keystone XL pipeline appears to be driving safety improvements in Canada’s oil-by-rail sector. (DeSmog)
PIPELINES:
• Tribes in Minnesota ramp up opposition to the Line 3 pipeline replacement and expansion and call for the Biden administration to intervene. (CNN)
• Michigan officials acknowledge treaty rights for the first time since Line 5 has operated as they move to revoke a key easement in the Straits of Mackinac. (Michigan Radio)
• A developer says converting a North Dakota oil gathering pipeline into a transmission line is critical if the Dakota Access pipeline is shut down. (Bismarck Tribune)
EMISSIONS:
• Ohio State University researchers find that a carbon tax is more economically efficient for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electricity by 2040 than renewable standards and production tax credits. (Energy News Network)
• Local officials in southern Wisconsin consider a plan to set a carbon neutrality goal by 2040. (Beloit Daily News)
OHIO:
• State and federal investigators are working to determine whether the former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio helped FirstEnergy in exchange for millions of dollars in contracts from the utility. (Associated Press)
• FirstEnergy acknowledges that it sent more than $56 million to a dark money advocacy group that pushed for the state’s power plant bailout law. (E&E News, subscription)
RENEWABLES:
• Google partners with a Minnesota nonprofit to buy renewable energy certificates that allow it to match offsets with its hours of operation. (Centered)
• A lack of transmission and widespread battery storage are key barriers to higher renewable energy targets in Iowa, experts say. (The Courier)
SOLAR:
• A 56 MW solar project and a potentially larger second phase are planned at an Illinois data center. (PV Magazine)
• Consumers Energy signs a deal to purchase 140 MW from a planned 200 MW solar project in southwestern Michigan. (Battle Creek Enquirer)
• Developers complete a 127 MW solar project in Iowa. (Renewables Now)
• Local officials in central Indiana advance plans for three new solar projects totaling nearly 24 MW of capacity. (Herald Bulletin)
• Ohio lawmakers consider a bill that would prohibit homeowners associations from adopting unreasonable limits on solar installations while Indiana lawmakers look at expanding net metering program caps. (PV Magazine)
UTILITIES: Consumers Energy seeks a $225 million rate increase to cover the cost of tree-trimming operations, solar power and electric vehicle charging stations. (Crain’s Detroit Business, subscription)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A research firm claims Ohio electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors misled investors about the strengths of its vehicle pre-orders and production progress. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)
COMMENTARY:
• U.S. Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota says carbon capture and storage would help decarbonize coal-fired power plants and allow them to keep operating. (Bismarck Tribune)
• A former Minnesota lawmaker and utility regulator says the state’s plan to adopt California’s transportation emissions standards would limit customer choice and increase the cost of new vehicles. (MinnPost)
• Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing is “under attack” by Missouri lawmakers attempting to chip away at the state’s program, a clean energy advocate says. (Missouri Times)