OIL & GAS: Environmental groups seek a temporary injunction to halt a new Ohio law that requires the state to lease state parks and other public lands for oil and gas development. (The Guardian)
PIPELINES:
• More than 50 tribal organizations from Michigan, Wisconsin and Canada issue a report claiming the Canadian government is violating Indigenous people’s human rights by supporting the Line 5 pipeline. (Sault News)
• A new Minnesota museum highlighting a nearly 200-year-old treaty between the U.S. government and the Ojibwe is an extension of tribes’ organized opposition to the Line 3 pipeline. (Minnesota Reformer)
• Consumers Energy is about to start a $550 million natural gas pipeline replacement project that passes through several natural areas in southeastern Michigan. (MLive)
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SOLAR:
• A Panasonic battery manufacturing plant under development in Kansas also is slated to include the state’s largest solar project. (WIBW)
• Iowa solar companies report an uptick in interest based on clean energy incentives included in the federal Inflation Reduction Act. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• A northwestern Indiana county considers drafting a new, more restrictive solar zoning ordinance in response to local feedback. (Times of Northwest Indiana)
• A western Michigan township supervisor faces a recall effort based on his support for a utility-scale solar project. (MLive)
CARBON CAPTURE: A carbon pipeline developer maintains that it will rely on voluntary easements and avoid the use of eminent domain in Iowa. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
COAL: Local officials prepare for the redevelopment of a former We Energies coal plant site for industrial or manufacturing purposes. (Kenosha News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• St. Paul, Minnesota’s first electric fire truck will cost $1.8 million but annually save an estimated $25,000 in fuel when it starts operating next year. (Star Tribune)
• A former Apple and Ford engineer formed a Michigan startup in recent years to develop electric vehicle batteries with longer range and reliance on materials with a more stable supply chain. (Detroit News, subscription)
UTILITIES: A Michigan Republican plans to introduce a bill that would make state utility regulator posts an elected position rather than a governor appointee in an effort to strengthen utility oversight. (Metro Times)
BIOGAS: Industry experts see growing attention to developing Indiana biogas facilities that convert cow manure into renewable natural gas. (Inside Indiana Business)
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POLITICS: Kansas lawmakers pass a bill preventing state and local entities from using environmental, social, governance principles when investing funds or awarding contracts. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY:
• A retired nurse and climate advocate says elected officials in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, have an opportunity to leverage federal funding to create a strong climate action plan. (South Dakota Searchlight)
• An Iowa state representative says a bill to limit the use of eminent domain for carbon pipeline projects is not about opposing the state’s ethanol industry but rather to prevent eminent domain for “private profit.” (Globe Gazette)
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