CLEAN ENERGY:
• Kansas’ largest utility retreats from its clean energy plans, announcing that it will keep its oldest coal plant running two more years and delay new solar power, citing cost and reliability concerns. (Kansas Reflector)
• Speaking in Michigan, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says the state is poised to be a clean energy and electric vehicle manufacturing leader. (Detroit Free Press)
PIPELINES: Leaders of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa welcome a judge’s order for Enbridge to shut down Line 5 on tribal property in three years, though they say the timeframe still leaves them vulnerable to a spill. (Wisconsin Examiner)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: General Motors’ recent investments totaling more than $3.6 billion in Indiana means the state is “not being left behind” in the transition to electric vehicles, says Gov. Eric Holcomb. (Inside Indiana Business)
EFFICIENCY: Kansas City officials vote against delaying new energy efficiency standards for homes, which critics say will drive up the cost of new homes by thousands of dollars. (Kansas City Star)
SOLAR:
• Allowing more community solar projects in Michigan helps consumers take back control of their electricity use and “empowers our economy,” a GOP state lawmaker says. (Michigan Advance)
• A bipartisan bill in Ohio would similarly open the development of community solar projects. (Cleveland.com)
UTILITIES:
• Omaha Public Power District board members delay a vote on the Nebraska utility’s $2 billion generation expansion plan to August to allow more time to iron out details. (World-Herald)
• ComEd parent company Exelon will revamp its board as part of a proposed settlement involving ComEd’s bribery scheme in Springfield. (Crain’s Chicago Business, subscription)
FOSSIL FUELS: Environmental groups say a Minnesota utility’s plan to convert a natural gas plant to run on diesel fuel oil will increase air pollution. (MPR)
MINING: A mining company operating west of Duluth, Minnesota, hopes to provide the only domestic source of nickel to a supply chain that manufactures electric vehicle batteries. (MPR)
CARBON CAPTURE:
• North Dakota carbon pipeline critics cite concerns over insurance, property values and personal safety with other existing hazardous pipelines as a developer seeks to build a project around Bismarck. (Bismarck Tribune)
• An Iowa school district joins a growing list of local entities opposed to a carbon pipeline proposal, citing the pipeline’s potential proximity to schools. (Globe Gazette)
• North Dakota’s attorney general will not immediately investigate the investors in a proposed carbon pipeline because lawmakers’ request to do so doesn’t meet certain requirements. (Bismarck Tribune)
• A startup converts leftover corn stover and other biomass waste into a carbon-rich “bio-oil” that is injected underground to curb carbon emissions. (Canary Media)
GRID:
• Xcel Energy is narrowing down potential routes for a high-voltage transmission line to transport renewable energy generation from southwest Minnesota to the site of a retiring coal plant. (West Central Tribune)
• Iowa receives a nearly $12 million federal grant to strengthen its grid against severe weather. (Des Moines Register)
• Ohio GOP lawmakers ask grid operator PJM to determine whether Illinois’ landmark climate law will impose costs on Ohio ratepayers. (E&E News, subscription)
WIND: A Michigan township considers new wind energy regulations that limit turbine heights to 300 feet and require half-mile setback distances from homes. (Daily News)
COMMENTARY: A GOP state senator from Indiana says his legislation creating incentives for communities to become wind and solar development-ready will remove guesswork for companies seeking to build projects. (Indianapolis Star)
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