ELECTRIFICATION: Illinois is a prime candidate for using building electrification to help the state meet emission-reduction goals, according to a report by the Rocky Mountain Institute. (S&P Global)
TRANSMISSION: Two Wisconsin lawmakers want federal officials to reexamine the potential impacts of the Hickory-Cardinal Creek transmission line on a national wildlife refuge. (Wisconsin State Journal)
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RENEWABLES: The city of Chicago issues a $200 million request for proposals to power city buildings and streetlights with renewable energy starting in 2022. (Smart Cities Dive)
UTILITIES: A former high-ranking and longtime ComEd official is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery as part of a scheme to pass favorable legislation for the utility. (WBEZ)
COAL: North Dakota coal companies ensure a complete reclamation process is in place as mines are closed, though environmental groups are raising concerns that the state will be left in the lurch. (Inforum)
WIND: A northern Iowa county considers zoning regulations that would effectively ban future commercial wind projects. (Radio Iowa)
OVERSIGHT: Minnesota Republicans continue to target agency officials appointed by Gov. Tim Walz over policy differences, most recently officials with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the state’s Public Utilities Commission. (Star Tribune)
PIPELINES:
• Company testing shows the eastern segment of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac was not damaged during a recent incident that closed a portion of the line. (Michigan Advance)
• Hearings before the Michigan Public Service Commission over a permit to build a tunnel for the Line 5 pipeline give critics a chance to litigate broad objections to the pipeline in hopes of shutting it down. (Bridge Magazine)
OIL & GAS:
• The Three Affiliated Tribes in North Dakota push for more tax revenue from oil wells that begin outside of reservation land but extend horizontally across the border. (Bismarck Tribune)
• The pandemic-related oil industry downturn came at an inopportune time for North Dakota communities during the 2020 Census that helps determine federal aid for the next decade. (Bismarck Tribune)
SOLAR:
• Officials in Michigan’s second largest city are concerned that proposed tariffs from Consumers Energy will stifle growing residential and commercial solar investments. (MLive)
• A solar installation that’s part of a We Energies pilot program in which the utility leases land from a municipality is set to come online next month in Racine, Wisconsin. (Racine Journal Times)
• Indiana has seen a push for large-scale solar projects this summer that could bring online hundreds of megawatts of new capacity. (PV Magazine)
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CLEAN ENERGY: The director of Wisconsin’s new Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy says her role is part of Gov. Tony Evers’ “concerted effort to transition to a clean-energy economy.” (Wisconsin State Journal)
COMMENTARY: The mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan, says the city has been making investments and progress on ambitious climate change goals. (MLive)