UTILITIES: Utility disconnections during the height of the pandemic by Exelon, DTE Energy, and others likely increased COVID-19-related deaths and disproportionately harmed communities of color, according to a recent report. (Energy News Network)

PIPELINES: All 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan send a letter to the Biden administration seeking support to shut down the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. (Michigan Advance)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Consumers Energy says it wants to become a “one-stop shop” for customers seeking at-home electric vehicle chargers, including installations, rebates, and enrollment in rate programs. (Detroit News)
• Michigan is set to receive $110 million for electric vehicle charging under the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill passed by Congress on Friday. (Bridge Michigan)

SOLAR:
• Alliant Energy is partnering with Iowa State University to build a nearly 1 MW solar project on university-owned land. (The Gazette)
• Disagreement within a local commission effectively kills plans for a 1.2 MW solar project at a Wisconsin airport. (News Republic)
• State regulators will hold a public hearing next month on a planned 350-acre solar project in northwestern Ohio. (Crescent-News)
• Michigan State University Extension releases a new online guide to help communities with solar zoning best practices. (Monroe News)

TRANSMISSION:
• Multiple, ongoing legal disputes threaten to delay or cancel a 101-mile clean energy transmission project between Iowa and Wisconsin. (E&E News)
• FirstEnergy will sell a 19.9% percent stake in its transmission businesses for $2.4 billion. (Bloomberg)

CLIMATE: Officials in Omaha, Nebraska, will draft a climate change plan for the city’s metro area as lawmakers reject calls for a statewide plan. (Omaha World-Herald)

WIND: A central Missouri county adopts new wind energy siting regulations that expand setback distances from property lines and amount to what one advocate calls a “de facto wind ban.” (Missouri Times)

OIL & GAS:
• North Dakota lawmakers consider a plan to use $150 million in federal stimulus relief to build another pipeline to transport natural gas across the state. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Spire Missouri officials say about 400,000 homes could be impacted by natural gas shortages if a pipeline from Illinois to St. Louis is forced to close next month. (St. Louis Public Radio)

RENEWABLES: Experts in Nebraska forecast the need for more renewable energy to power data centers as more come online. (KETV)

STORAGE: An Indianapolis-based investment group plans to acquire a California energy storage startup and take the company public next year. (Indianapolis Business Journal)

COMMENTARY: The president of the Wisconsin Technology Council says researchers and manufacturers in the state will help lead the state’s climate change strategy. (Wisconsin State Journal)

Andy compiles the Midwest Energy News digest and was a journalism fellow for Midwest Energy News from 2014-2020. He is managing editor of MiBiz in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was formerly a reporter and editor at City Pulse, Lansing’s alternative newsweekly.