ELECTRIFICATION: A Chicago suburb is set to become the first municipality in the Midwest to ban natural gas in new construction, after passing a new city ordinance in June. (Daily Herald)

OIL & GAS: An Ohio commission is considering multiple applications to drill for natural gas beneath state parks. (Energy News Network)


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OHIO: Lobbyist Matt Borges appeals his 5-year sentence on a racketeering conviction related to the HB 6 scandal. (Associated Press)

CARBON CAPTURE:
• Iowa regulators order developers of a proposed carbon capture pipeline to notify landowners of plans to use eminent domain to secure easements for the project. (Des Moines Register)
• A politically diverse movement — ranging from Indigenous activists to far-right conspiracy theorists — is forming in opposition to carbon dioxide pipelines in South Dakota. (Brookings Register)

UTILITIES:
• Consumer advocates push regulators to investigate AES Indiana’s response to a June storm that left some customers without power for nearly a week. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
• Ohio regulators order utilities to hold off on disconnecting customers if they have a pending application for energy assistance programs. (news release)
• Former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, convicted in May for a bribery conspiracy, is fighting state efforts to suspend her law license. (WBEZ)

GRID:
• Kansas will receive a $13.3 million grant from the Department of Energy for grid modernization. (KSNT)
• Minnesota regulators approve Xcel Energy’s proposal for an iron-air battery at the site of a former coal plant. (PV Magazine)

TRANSPORTATION: Kansas City’s streetcar will be out of service for weeks after a rail buckled under extreme heat earlier this month, a warning that transit infrastructure can be vulnerable to climate change. (Kansas City Star)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Gov. J.B. Pritzker leads a trade delegation to Europe to pitch Illinois as a destination for electric vehicle manufacturing. (Chicago Tribune)
• Ohio announces locations for 27 electric vehicle charging stations along the state’s interstate highways. (WKYC)
• Auto dealers release a list of electric vehicles eligible for new rebates in Minnesota. (MinnPost)

SOLAR: A pair of solar projects totaling 465 MW go online in northwest Indiana. (Solar Industry)

COMMENTARY: An editorial board calls for Nebraskans to approach solar development with “transparency, civility and respect” amid controversy over several large projects. (Lincoln Journal Star)

More from the Energy News Network: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.