CLEAN ENERGY: A seven-bill package from Michigan Democrats would update renewable energy standards, set a clean fuel standard, reduce building emissions and allow state regulators to consider climate factors when evaluating utility plans. (Michigan Advance)
GRID: The Indiana Senate passes a bill giving utilities first rights to build, own and operate transmission projects that cross state borders. (WFYI)
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POLICY: Wisconsin Republicans advance a bill that would block the state and local governments from banning fossil fuel-powered tools, appliances and vehicles. (Wisconsin Examiner)
OIL & GAS:
• Tens of thousands of leaking abandoned oil and gas drilling wells dot eastern Ohio with no fix in sight, a journalist’s investigation finds. (Statehouse News Bureau)
• Xcel Energy is fighting to extend a Minnesota law that allows utilities to charge customers while fast-tracking gas infrastructure upgrades without standard regulatory review. (Energy and Policy Institute)
• State officials are working to remediate riverside areas with suspected crude oil puddles and sheens following recent flooding in western Michigan. (MLive)
• The Minnesota Senate passes a bill requiring the use of skilled contractors at refineries following a recent asphalt spill at a Twin Cities facility. (Pioneer Press)
NUCLEAR: An Illinois House committee advances legislation to lift the state’s 1987 ban on the construction of new nuclear plants. (WAND)
SOLAR: Critics say a Michigan county’s planned one-year moratorium on commercial solar projects would hamper the state’s clean energy goals. (Lansing State Journal)
CARBON CAPTURE: A carbon pipeline developer says it has secured voluntary land easements for nearly 68% of the project’s path through Iowa. (Globe Gazette)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Automakers are working to cut electric vehicle manufacturing costs, which will drive down prices for consumers as mass-market vehicles become available. (CNBC)
WIND: Detroit-based utility DTE Energy opens a $300 million wind project that makes it the largest wind project in Michigan. (WNEM)
CLIMATE:
• Ohio climate activists say cooperation among local governments on shared climate goals is key to making progress on emission-reduction targets. (Akron Beacon Journal)
• A draft climate action plan for Ames, Iowa, outlines $3.2 billion in spending by 2050 on electrification, renewable energy and net-zero building, among other initiatives. (Iowa State Daily)
• Three Indiana cities plan to sign joint resolutions to collaborate on climate change planning and secure federal funding for sustainable development projects. (Indiana Daily Student)
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GRID:
• A southeastern Michigan city with its own electric utility reports fewer and shorter outages — and more customer satisfaction — compared to large investor-owned utilities. (WDIV)
• FirstEnergy presents new plans for running power lines through downtown Youngstown, Ohio, after regulators last year rejected the utility’s initial proposal. (WYTV)
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