ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Installation begins on a network of 22 electric vehicle charging stations along major Minnesota highways. (Energy News Network)
COAL: St. Louis-area civic leaders call on Ameren to retire its coal fleet by 2030, up to 15 years earlier than planned, in a rare public criticism of the utility. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
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OHIO: State lawmakers make the case for repealing HB 6, the state’s power plant bailout law at the center of an alleged bribery scandal, as hearings begin in Columbus. (Cleveland.com)
ILLINOIS: An Illinois House committee will consult with federal prosecutors before calling witnesses or seeking documents as it weighs disciplinary action against House Speaker Michael Madigan related to the ComEd bribery scandal. (CBS Chicago)
UTILITIES:
• Kansas City utility Evergy will be closely watched by regulators and activist investors as it transitions to new leadership and more renewables. (Kansas City Business Journal)
• Voters in a Twin Cities exurb will decide in November whether to allow an outside company to operate the city’s electric utility. (Southwest News Media)
SOLAR: A developer announces plans for a 200 MW solar project in southwestern Indiana. (Princeton Daily Clarion)
WIND:
• Southeastern Nebraska county officials expand setback requirements for wind projects in an effort to protect landowners who don’t sign leases. (Beatrice Daily Sun)
• Local officials approve a land siting permit for a planned 107-turbine wind project in central Illinois. (WLDS)
CLIMATE: The Minneapolis City Council joins an effort calling on the state’s pension fund to divest from fossil fuels. (Southwest Journal)
SOLAR: A Minnesota utility plans a 50 MW solar project at the site of a soon-to-be-retired coal and hydroelectric plant. (Fergus Falls Daily Journal)
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CLEAN ENERGY: The USDA issues $1.3 million in grants to rural Minnesota farmers and businesses to install renewable energy and efficiency projects. (Grand Forks Herald)
COMMENTARY: The economics of building electrification are starting to change in the Midwest, where harsh winters have previously made the switch too expensive, says the president of the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council. (Greentech Media)