NATURAL GAS: Critics say Michigan utility DTE Energy’s request to use public funding from a “low carbon” grant program to expand gas service to rural areas contradicts the program’s goals and ignores the benefits of electrification. (Planet Detroit)
COAL: The federal denial of a coal ash disposal permit could shut down North Dakota’s largest power plant — a nearly 1,200 MW coal facility — for up to three years. (Inforum)
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POLITICS:
• Federal prosecutors use a former ComEd executive as a key witness during a bribery trial alleging former House Speaker Michael Madigan and associates pressured the utility to hire favored people. (Chicago Sun-Times)
• Jurors this week saw video captured from a hidden camera of close Madigan allies discussing the alleged bribery scheme in 2019. (Capitol News Illinois)
NUCLEAR: Xcel Energy agrees to pay the Prairie Island Indian Community an additional $7.5 million a year to store spent nuclear waste near tribal land as the utility seeks to extend the life of the plant near the Mississippi River. (MinnPost)
CARBON CAPTURE:
• An Illinois county board will not draft a resolution for or against a proposed carbon capture pipeline as the developer proceeds through the permitting process. (WCBU)
• More than two dozen residents attend an Iowa town hall meeting to seek information and express concerns about multiple proposed carbon pipeline projects. (Daily Nonpareil)
SOLAR:
• A developer starts construction on an 800 MW Illinois solar project that would be the largest in the state and the first to use only U.S.-made modules, hardware and electrical components. (PV Magazine)
• An Iowa county board unanimously votes to extend a moratorium on utility-scale solar projects for three months as local regulations are finalized. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• A Missouri resident says her homeowners association’s attempt to limit the size of her rooftop solar installation violates a new state law blocking HOAs from hindering solar projects. (KMBC)
• A developer considers plans for a 5 MW solar project near a landfill in eastern South Dakota. (Brookings Register)
WIND:
• Southwestern Iowa county officials consider residents’ opposition to a proposed wind project as they work to craft local zoning regulations. (KCCI)
• An Iowa county tables plans for a wind energy moratorium amid an ongoing lawsuit between the county and a group of citizens. (KMALand)
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OIL & GAS: Nearly 500 barrels of produced water spilled from a North Dakota well pad after a valve leaked. (Bismarck Tribune)
COMMENTARY: A Minnesota House Democrat says state lawmakers need to revise the state’s gasoline tax and examine user-based fees that reflect changing driving habits and a coming wave of electric vehicles. (Star Tribune)
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