ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Vice President Mike Pence will be in Ohio tomorrow for the unveiling of a startup company’s new electric pickup truck built at GM’s former Lordstown plant. (Associated Press)
CLIMATE: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ climate change task force kicked off a series of listening sessions this week on the state’s climate challenges and ways cities are addressing them with carbon reduction goals. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
***SPONSORED LINK: Center Out: A Strategy for Climate Success will be hosted by the Great Plains Institute on June 25. Join the conversation about how the Midwest can lead the clean energy transformation. Click here for more and to RSVP.***
NATURAL GAS: DTE Energy’s natural gas subsidiary announces a net zero emissions goal by 2050, relying on emissions reductions through suppliers, customers and upgrading infrastructure. (Bridge Magazine)
PIPELINES:
• The chairperson of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, which has called for the shutdown of Line 5 for years, says Michigan needs a “more progressive approach” to protect against a pipeline spill. (Michigan Radio)
• A Michigan business group composed of retailers, outdoor recreation companies, major breweries and others in the hospitality industry call for the immediate shutdown of the Line 5 pipeline. (MiBiz)
SOLAR: Construction is complete on a 2.7 MW community solar project in central Illinois, which will be the largest community solar project in the state and the first in Ameren’s service territory. (News release)
EMISSIONS: Michigan is part of a coalition of states defending the U.S. EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for power plants, an about-face after the state’s previous attorney general challenged the rules in court. (E&E News, subscription)
CARBON CAPTURE: North Dakota officials approve a $3.4 million project to see whether the geology around the Coal Creek power plant can be used to store carbon dioxide. (Prairie Public Broadcasting)
COAL: Missouri-based coal giants Peabody Energy and Arch Resources last month asked for royalty rate reductions on tens of thousands of acres of surface mines, citing the pandemic. (E&E News, subscription)
GRID: FirstEnergy will use low-flying helicopters to survey power lines and trim trees in northeastern Ohio. (WKBN)
OIL & GAS: A trucking company could face up to $2 million in fines from North Dakota after it was found dumping oilfield waste on private property. (Williston Herald)
UTILITIES: A city near Indianapolis allows customers to enroll in a payment program as the state’s moratorium on disconnections expires at the end of the month. (Greenfield Daily Reporter)
COMMENTARY: The head of a Midwest environmental group says it’s risky for financiers to support expensive new fossil fuel projects amid low oil prices, such as a Great Lakes tunnel for the Line 5 pipeline. (Crain’s Detroit Business)