COAL: Environmental groups sue the U.S. EPA to close a major loophole that has left tons of coal ash unregulated at almost 300 sites on the Great Lakes and coast to coast. (Energy News Network/Chicago Investigative Project)
OHIO: State regulators will defer to federal authorities and pause their investigations into the FirstEnergy bribery scandal for at least six months to avoid interfering with a U.S. Justice Department investigation. (Ohio Capital Journal)
CLIMATE: Kansas City officials advance a sweeping climate action plan that aims for carbon neutrality by 2040 and that has drawn opposition from the region’s large electric and gas utilities. (Kansas City Star)
WIND: Western Iowa county officials narrowly approve an ordinance that doubles setback distance for wind turbines, almost entirely eliminating the potential for future projects. (Iowa Public Radio)
SOLAR: Iowa county officials reschedule three public meetings required before voting on a major solar project near a former nuclear plant. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Some drivers leasing an electric Ford-150 will be able to sign up for a smart-charging program with Duke Energy that reduces car lease payments in exchange for discharging battery power back to the grid. (Canary Media)
AIR POLLUTION: Tribes in the U.S. facing disproportionate levels of air pollution from wildfires call for increased federal funding for monitoring equipment. (Grist)
BATTERIES: A large-scale battery manufacturing plant in western Michigan is close to securing additional financing for a planned $1.7 billion expansion. (WOOD-TV8)
CARBON CAPTURE: The Inflation Reduction Act includes provisions that could help spur carbon capture projects in coal-heavy states like North Dakota. (Williston Herald)
GRID:
• Increasing wait times to connect renewable energy projects to the grid is costing developers money and slowing the clean energy transition. (Utility Dive)
• Grid operators MISO and Southwest Power Pool propose a cost-sharing formula for $1 billion worth of transmission projects that are waiting to be interconnected to the grid. (RTO Insider, subscription)
COMMENTARY: An Illinois organized labor official says the Inflation Reduction Act is an important victory that will spur job creation to tackle climate change. (Chicago Sun-Times)
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