GRID: Iowa regulators approve plans for a 174-mile high voltage direct current transmission line that will run underground along a railroad right of way from north-central Iowa to Illinois. (KIMT)
OIL & GAS:
• Two class action lawsuits filed in Kansas allege natural gas suppliers took advantage of customers and illegally raised prices for excessive profits during a 2021 cold weather snap. (Kansas Reflector)
• State and federal authorities are investigating the spill of more than 2,000 barrels of produced water about three miles upstream of a national wildlife refuge. (Great Bend Tribune)
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SOLAR:
• Kansas City officials reach an agreement with a group led by Evergy to build and operate the country’s largest airport solar array, with construction on the 500 MW project starting in the first half of 2025. (Flatland)
• Iowa’s second-most populous county advances new commercial solar zoning restrictions that use a scorecard to assess new projects. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will be the anchor tenant of an Alliant Energy community solar project under a new 20-year agreement. (Corridor Business Journal)
• Backers of a southeastern Indiana solar project hope the installation serves as a template for building rural clean energy projects. (Inside Indiana Business)
• A longtime Michigan solar installer merges with a nearby solar tracking system startup in hopes of expanding their reach beyond the state. (Traverse City Ticker)
PIPELINES:
• Summit Carbon Solutions’ politically connected co-founder says attempts to compel him to testify at regulatory hearings are an “irrelevant sideshow.” (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
• Critics say Iowa regulators are rushing Summit Carbon Solutions’ permit approval process as officials aim to complete hearings by the end of this month. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
EMISSIONS: A new Sierra Club report details toxic emissions and climate pollution from more than 200 U.S. industrial facilities, including the country’s largest steel mill in Gary, Indiana. (Inside Climate News)
CLIMATE: Indiana University’s new climate action plan calls for carbon neutrality by 2040 through a mix of renewable energy and efficiency projects. (Indiana Public Media)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The University of Michigan deploys four electric buses that can drive about 250 miles on a single charge. (Michigan Daily)
OVERSIGHT: A former longtime Democratic lawmaker is the newest appointee to the Kansas Corporation Commission, and joins amid a major proposed rate increase from Evergy. (Capital Journal)
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COMMENTARY:
• Two Democratic lawmakers in Michigan say the “time to act is now” to pass a 100% carbon-free electricity standard by 2035 and strengthen the state’s energy efficiency requirements. (Bridge)
• A tribal leader says the U.S. Army Corps’ latest draft environmental review of the Dakota Access pipeline is the latest chapter in the agency’s long history of disrespecting tribal land. (Natural Resources Defense Council)
• Minnesota’s House majority leader says the state has the right policies in place to reach its climate targets, but putting the plan in action will require a more robust power grid. (Star Tribune)
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