ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A Chinese company is exploring building a $3.6 billion electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in western Michigan that could create up to 2,000 jobs over the next decade. (Detroit News)
• Racial justice advocates fear that — left unchecked — federal funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure could bypass minority communities. (Grist)
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CLEAN ENERGY: With a year-old law setting a 100% carbon-free electricity target by 2045, Illinois must now grapple with the complexities and unanswered questions over how exactly to reach the goal. (E&E News)
SOLAR:
• At least nine developers and utility companies are exploring utility-scale solar projects in a western Michigan county. (Greenville Daily News)
• First Solar, which is expanding its manufacturing operations in Ohio, is among companies investing in new production amid the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. (Canary Media)
• A Nebraska planning commission advances proposed zoning regulations for solar projects that will be considered by the end of the year. (News Channel Nebraska)
CLIMATE:
• Minneapolis-St. Paul nonprofits seek to address a longstanding inequity by planting more trees in disadvantaged neighborhoods to lower health risks and combat rising electricity bills. (Star Tribune)
• City officials and business and nonprofit leaders advance plans to develop a citywide climate action plan in Omaha, Nebraska. (World-Herald)
OIL & GAS:
• An oil refinery near Toledo, Ohio shut down on Wednesday after a fire at the facility this week caused two deaths. (Associated Press)
• A North Dakota commission for the third time extends a deadline for companies to submit grant requests to build a cross-state gas pipeline after no bids have been received. (Grand Forks Herald)
• Natural gas costs in northern Illinois have more than doubled over the past year, which utility officials say reflect the uncertainty and speculation over upcoming market conditions. (Rockford Register Star)
PIPELINES: An Iowa judge will hold a hearing next week on a carbon pipeline developer’s request for an injunction against property owners who have denied company agents access to their land for survey work. (Sioux City Journal)
UTILITIES: Duke Energy reaches a settlement with other parties in an Ohio electric distribution rate case that will lead to a $22.6 million increase. (Dayton Daily News)
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COMMENTARY:
• A Kansas City organization calls for local governments to consider cumulative environmental justice impacts as they adopt climate action plans. (Natural Resources Defense Council)
• Minnesota climate advocates say state officials should start putting Inflation Reduction Act funding to good use regardless of whether they supported the legislation. (Echo Press)
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