CLEAN ENERGY: Xcel Energy proposes spending $3 billion, mostly on large renewable energy projects, in response to regulators’ call last month to help jumpstart the economy during the pandemic. (Star Tribune)
ALSO: Minnesota Power proposes a $40 million investment in 20 MW of new solar projects. (Star Tribune)
***SPONSORED LINK: Coping and Building Better in This Moment is the first in a summer series of town hall conversations from Elevate Energy. Register on Eventbrite for the June 18, 4-5 pm event and join the discussion.***
UTILITIES:
• Kansas regulatory staff recommends an investigation of the potential customer impact of a hedge fund’s effort to boost Evergy’s value. (E&E News, subscription)
• Vectren has been under pressure from some Indiana lawmakers to keep coal plants online, but consumer advocates praise the utility’s plan to ramp up renewables in the next five years. (Utility Dive)
WIND:
• Like in other Great Lakes states, interest remains in Illinois over offshore wind power but faces a series of obstacles. (WBEZ)
• AEP’s planned 1,500 MW wind project in Oklahoma is among large renewable projects that have moved forward during the pandemic. (Greentech Media)
CLIMATE:
• Efforts to draft a climate action plan in Evansville, Indiana, are back on track after delays due to the pandemic. (Evansville Courier & Press)
• Michigan-based Dow Chemical Co. pledges to be carbon neutral by 2050. (Houston Chronicle)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Lyft pledges to have 100% of the vehicles on its ridesharing and rental platforms be electric or zero-emissions by 2030. (Greentech Media)
• Lordstown Motors previews its electric pickup truck as a company pledges to buy 1,200 of the vehicles. (WFMJ, Youngstown Vindicator)
AIR POLLUTION: U.S. EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler appears in Wisconsin to tout air quality improvements in Sheboygan County, which critics say is due to a redrawn map that excludes high pollution readings. (InsideClimate News)
SOLAR: An Indiana apartment building is the first in the state to use double-side solar panels to offset energy costs. (Inside Indiana Business)
COAL: DTE Energy demolishes an eastern Michigan coal plant that was taken offline in 2013. (Huron Daily Tribune)
***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.***
BIOFUELS: Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa says an even sharper dispute over biofuel blending requirements may surface in 2022 as the EPA has more authority over the program. (E&E News, subscription)
COMMENTARY: An Enbridge official says the company’s planned $500 million investment in a Great Lakes pipeline tunnel plays an “integral role in Michigan’s economic reboot and latest chapter of resiliency.” (Detroit News)