COAL: New federal rules would regulate coal plant wastewater for the first time and could hasten U.S. plant closures, though implementation delays and a loophole for contamination that seeps from unlined coal ash ponds could weaken the plan. (Energy News Network)
CLEAN ENERGY: Michigan Senate Democrats plan to introduce legislation requiring utilities to produce 100% carbon-free power by 2035 and eliminate coal use by 2030. (Bridge Michigan)
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POLITICS:
• Prosecutors rest their case in the trial of four people accused of seeking favors for ComEd in exchange for contracts and payments for associates of former House Speaker Michael Madigan. (Associated Press)
• Former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore plans to take the stand and testify in her defense today. (Crain’s Chicago Business, subscription)
EMISSIONS: President Biden’s proposed U.S. vehicle emissions standard could be a consequential part of his climate legacy, though the proposal relies on automakers and consumers to embrace electric vehicles. (Inside Climate News)
NUCLEAR:
• An Xcel Energy executive testifying before Minnesota lawmakers pledges to improve communication with the public after the utility withheld information for months about a contaminated water leak from a nuclear plant. (WCCO)
• A Michigan Democratic lawmaker says providing $300 million in state funding to restart a nuclear plant is a “pretty good deal to get an existing plant up and running again.” (MiBiz)
GRID:
• Opposition mounts as Indiana lawmakers consider legislation giving incumbent utilities first rights to build transmission projects. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
• A St. Paul, Minnesota, company has designed a portable, solar-powered electrical generator that can provide backup power in case of emergencies or other events. (Pioneer Press)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Companies searching for large, contiguous properties for electric vehicles and other advanced manufacturing projects are confronting limited site options in the U.S. (Reuters)
• Michigan lawmakers delay a vote on providing $175 million in subsidies for an electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant amid public concerns over the company’s ties to China. (Bridge Michigan)
• A growing number of restaurants and retailers in the Chicago area are installing electric vehicle charging stations to attract new customers. (Chicago Sun-Times)
• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer renews her call to temporarily pause the state sales tax on electric vehicles to incentivize adoption. (WOOD-TV8)
• Major companies and local officials are ramping up efforts to promote more electric vehicle charging infrastructure in greater Kansas City. (FOX 4)
• Rivian delivers a fleet of eight electric trucks to an Ameren facility in Peoria, Illinois. (WMBD)
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CARBON CAPTURE: A new North Dakota coalition that includes two former Bismarck mayors launches a petition to ensure carbon pipeline developments are safe. (Bismarck Tribune)
COMMENTARY: Any potential revenue from oil and gas drilling in Ohio state parks “will never come close to what our state makes now by preserving them,” an environmental advocate writes. (Ohio Capital Journal)
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