OHIO: Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Sam Randazzo resigns days after the FBI searched his home as part of an investigation into the state’s power plant subsidy law bribery scandal. (Cleveland.com)
POLICY: An Indiana legislative task force’s report appears to lay the groundwork for justifying power-plant bailouts similar to those in Ohio and Illinois, despite assurances from state regulators and the region’s grid operator that coal plant closures do not pose a threat to grid reliability. (Energy News Network)
COAL: As coal use declines nationally, Indiana remains among 15 states that still gets a majority of its power from coal. (Herald Republican)
TRANSMISSION: A federal judge will allow environmental groups’ lawsuit to proceed against the planned Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission project in southwestern Wisconsin. (Wisconsin State Journal)
PIPELINES:
• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to shut down Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac causes concern for Toledo area refineries. (Toledo Blade)
• Challenging a decades-old easement as a violation of public trust laws puts Michigan officials “very much on the offensive,” say environmental advocates looking to shut down the Line 5 pipeline. (MiBiz)
SOLAR:
• Consumers Energy plans to voluntary expand a distributed generation program that advocates say was poised to create uncertainty for installers and rooftop solar customers. (MiBiz)
• Developers plan a $100 million, 125 MW solar project in northern Ohio. (Sandusky Register)
UTILITIES: The publicly owned utility serving the Lincoln, Nebraska, region sets a goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040. (KRVN)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: General Motors says a pending breakthrough will make the cost of an electric vehicle equal to internal combustion models within five years and also increase vehicles’ range per charge. (Associated Press)
STORAGE: Alliant Energy begins construction on a battery storage project in northeastern Iowa that’s expected to come online by the end of the year. (Decorah News)
COMMENTARY: Coal plant closures are planned across the U.S. in the coming years as renewable energy projects are slated to ramp up, energy analysts say. (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)