UTILITIES: Six Midwest utilities plan to spend a combined $15 billion on roughly 8,600 MW of wind, solar and battery storage while retiring nearly 6,000 MW of coal through 2023. (S&P Global)
ALSO: FirstEnergy adds itself to the growing list of utilities pledging to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. (MetroNews)
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GRID: Developers propose a 220-mile underground transmission line from northern Iowa to northern Illinois to help move wind and solar power to the East Coast. (Radio Iowa)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Ford plans to invest $100 million in a Kansas City assembly plant to build its new electric transit van, part of a broader investment in electric vehicle manufacturing. (Detroit Free Press)
COAL:
• Peabody Energy reports another quarter with multimillion-dollar losses and warns it may consider bankruptcy for the second time in five years. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• Peabody also reaches an agreement with insurers that guarantees mine reclamation after a bond provider asked for collateral because of the company’s deteriorating financial condition. (E&E News, subscription)
OHIO:
• FirstEnergy dismisses two more executives — its chief legal officer and chief ethics officer — as investigations continue into the company’s alleged role in the power plant subsidy law scandal. (WKSU)
• The Ohio Elections Commission may wait until next year to consider a case challenging former House Speaker Larry Householder’s use of nearly $1 million in campaign funds to pay attorneys overseeing his defense on corruption charges. (Cleveland.com)
PIPELINES: Environmental groups file an appeal with Michigan regulators to allow consideration of greenhouse gas emissions as Enbridge seeks permits to build a tunnel for Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. (WLNS)
EQUITY: A coordinator with the Illinois chapter of the Sierra Club says Chicago’s clean energy transition must address inequities and systemic racism in environmental policies. (Medill Reports Chicago)
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SOLAR:
• A University of Wisconsin campus plans a 2.4 MW solar project in the southwestern corner of the state. (Telegraph Herald)
• Some residents raise density concerns while speaking out against a proposed 375 MW solar project in southeastern Ohio. (Lima News)
COMMENTARY: Columbus, Ohio, announced last month that it had completed 30,000 home energy audits within two years as part of its broader sustainability plan. (Natural Resources Defense Council)