Note to readers: Midwest Energy News is taking a break for the holiday and will be back on Monday, Nov. 30. Thank you for reading!
POLITICS: Supporters of the proposed Clean Energy Jobs Act in Illinois say a “mysterious dark money group” is co-opting messages on climate and clean energy with vague messages critical of utility’s clean energy transitions. (Energy News Network)
ALSO: Democratic lawmakers in Ohio are growing frustrated with the lack of action to repeal the state’s power plant bailout law as the investigation has “snowballed into something much larger than where we started.” (WOSU)
TRANSMISSION: A pair of energy consultants seek partners for a $9.5 billion transmission-plus-storage project that could complete a renewable energy superhighway connecting Southern California and Chicago. (Energy News Network)
PIPELINES:
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approves the final federal permit needed for Enbridge’s Line 3 replacement and expansion in northern Minnesota. (Associated Press)
• The Army Corps said tribes’ attempts to shut down the Dakota Access pipeline have not met the “high bar” required for such action, and concerns about an oil spill are “speculative and abstract.” (Bismarck Tribune)
• Climate activists hope President-elect Joe Biden will block the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines and publicly oppose Line 3. (InsideClimate News)
• Consumers Energy completes a $610 million project to replace an aging 90-mile natural gas pipeline in eastern Michigan. (Daily Energy Insider)
COAL: Activists seek a just transition as Indiana utilities close coal plants, particularly for those who live near the plants’ air pollution. (Indiana Public Media)
TRANSPORTATION: General Motors drops its support for the Trump administration’s legal effort to nullify California’s fuel economy rules. (New York Times)
WIND: County officials approve plans for an up to 56-turbine wind project in northern Iowa while a moratorium on new applications is in effect. (Radio Iowa)
SOLAR:
• Chicago-based Invenergy announces plans to build the nation’s largest solar project — a $1.6 billion, 1,310 MW project in northeastern Texas. (E&E News, subscription)
• An investor group plans to acquire a solar project near Indianapolis Motor Speedway for $216.5 million. (Inside Indiana Business)
• Kent State University is in the process of adding solar projects to all six of its regional campuses by spring 2021. (Solar Power World)
• A southeastern Michigan township approves new solar siting regulations in anticipation of a planned 150 MW project. (Monroe News)
CLEAN ENERGY: Environmental groups praise multiple Ohio cities that have adopted strong renewable energy targets. (City Beat)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: EV startup Rivian has sold out of its first planned batch of vehicles as the company faces limited production capacity. (Bloomberg)
GEOTHERMAL: St. Paul, Minnesota, officials plan to install a geothermal system at a zoo and conservatory as the city moves toward its carbon neutral goal in municipal buildings over the next decade. (Star Tribune)