STORAGE: A Michigan battery storage manufacturer is raising $50 million to build a production facility for its long-duration, lead-acid batteries. (MiBiz)
OHIO:
• Federal prosecutors release new documents showing how FirstEnergy used dark money groups to secretly pay $400,000 to benefit former House Speaker Larry Householder. (Energy and Policy Institute)
• Advocates say requiring more financial disclosure is a “common-sense reform” to prevent corruption scandals like the one around Ohio’s House Bill 6. (Columbus Dispatch)
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SOLAR:
• A developer appeals to Indiana energy regulators to allow a proposed 120 MW solar project to move forward. (Tribune-Star)
• A Nebraska county adopts a moratorium on utility-scale solar for up to six months to allow planners to research zoning best practices. (McCook Gazette)
BIOFUELS: Iowa ethanol plants produced roughly 4.5 billion gallons of fuel in 2022, a new record for the state. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
AIR POLLUTION: For the first time in a decade, the U.S. EPA proposes tougher standards for limiting pollution from airborne particles that have been linked to a range of health harms. (Inside Climate News)
CLEAN ENERGY: Illinois lawmakers are poised to take up bills on electric vehicle manufacturing incentives and a pilot offshore wind farm in Lake Michigan when they return to session. (Crain’s Chicago Business, subscription)
EFFICIENCY: Wisconsin receives $150 million in federal infrastructure funding that will provide grants to homeowners investing in energy efficiency upgrades. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
GRID: A transmission operator is studying the potential for the construction of a major transmission line through central Michigan. (Greenville Daily News)
UTILITIES: Detroit utility DTE Energy launches a new time-of-use rate for customers to help them reduce power use during peak demand periods. (WDIV)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attends an unveiling and demonstration of the first electric fire truck manufactured in the state. (Star Tribune)
Mining the Climate Crisis
Join MCEA at noon January 24 for its Mining the Climate Crisis webinar series finale, “Climate Action Beyond Extraction Roundtable,” featuring Winona LaDuke of Honor the Earth, Libby Bent of Duluth for Clean Water, and Dr. Jennifer Dunn of Northwestern. Register today!
NUCLEAR: Michigan regulators search for an outside consulting firm to determine the feasibility of new nuclear power generation. (WLNS)
COMMENTARY:
• A Chicago minister urges city leaders to pass a clean buildings ordinance to improve local air quality. (Chicago Tribune)
• A Midwest clean energy advocate says Minnesota regulators should closely scrutinize Xcel Energy’s latest rate increase and urge the utility to invest in renewables. (MinnPost)
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