CLIMATE: “We want to lead by example,” says the sustainability manager of Madison, Wisconsin, which now powers nearly 75% of its operations with renewable energy and tracks buildings’ energy usage. (Business Insider)
PIPELINES: South Dakota regulators will allow more than 300 people, businesses, organizations and local governments to intervene in a carbon capture pipeline permitting case. (KELO)
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RENEWABLES: Indiana researchers release a comprehensive survey of local wind and solar zoning regulations that is meant to guide future land use decisions as projects are proposed. (Farmers Advance)
SOLAR: Central Ohio county officials restrict the development of solar projects larger than 5 MW in seven townships as allowed under a recent state law. (Peak of Ohio)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Michigan regulators approve a cost-sharing electric vehicle pilot program to expand charging infrastructure in an Upper Peninsula utility’s service territory. (9&10 News)
UTILITIES:
• Dayton, Ohio will launch an energy aggregation program on June 1 to purchase renewable energy at more competitive prices for residents and businesses. (WDTN)
• Detroit’s city council passes a resolution calling on DTE Energy to pause electricity and gas shut-offs for a year following a media report about the utility’s disconnection practices during the pandemic. (ProPublica/Outlier Media)
EFFICIENCY: A researcher argues that power sector energy efficiency should be reimagined to focus on electrification as incremental efficiency improvements are no longer good enough to reach zero-emission targets. (Inside Climate News)
WIND: A South Dakota wind project commits $16.5 million in bonds to pay for potential damage to roads and public infrastructure as well as decommissioning the project at the end of its lifetime. (KELO)
GRID: Indiana Michigan Power will invest roughly $85 million to upgrade transmission infrastructure in southwestern Michigan that’s expected to improve reliability. (Moody on the Market)
OIL & GAS: Local authorities in Kansas evacuate everyone within 1.5 miles of a natural gas plant after an explosion and as compromised relief valves risk another incident. (WIBW)
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BIOFUELS:
• U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa dismisses “food vs. fuel” criticisms of ethanol as “stupid” and says the Biden administration should permanently allow summertime sales of gasoline with higher blends of ethanol. (E&E News, subscription)
• Missouri is providing grants to gas station owners to prepare their fuel dispensers and storage tanks for ethanol products. (KFVS)
COMMENTARY: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker made an expensive and environmentally risky bet by propping up Exelon nuclear plants with about $700 million in subsidies, an editorial board writes. (Chicago Tribune)
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