POLITICS: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration endorses a plan that would require utilities to produce 100% of electricity from carbon-free sources by 2035, which Democrats will likely consider this fall. (MLive, Michigan Advance)
ELECTRIFICATION: Installers and early adopters of electric heat pumps in northern Minnesota are showing that the technology, paired with weatherization upgrades, can be effective even in cold weather climates. (Energy News Network)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Illinois will launch another round of electric vehicle rebates offering $4,000 per car or truck and $1,500 for a motorcycle after the first program ran out of money. (Sun-Times)
• ComEd announces a new rate option for non-residential electric vehicle charging hosts aimed at incentivizing infrastructure build outs. (Daily Herald)
BATTERIES: A Wisconsin startup is developing a battery that could store renewable energy longer by using organic salts that are dissolved in a water solution and pumped through the device. (State Journal)
GRID: Grid operators including PJM and MISO argue that the U.S. EPA’s proposed emission standards for power plants could lead to power shortages if batteries and other technologies don’t advance quickly enough. (Utility Dive)
UTILITIES: Settlements ranging from $1 to $20 are being issued to FirstEnergy customers in northeast Ohio as part of a $49 million class action settlement related to the state’s bribery and racketeering scandal. (Cleveland.com)
RENEWABLES:
• Restrictive setback ordinances could cut U.S. wind energy capacity by 87% and solar capacity by 38%, though not enough to block decarbonization goals, according to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory study. (Utility Dive)
• Officials unveil a new technical training center in Bloomington, Illinois, that will train at least 100 people annually for wind and solar jobs. (Pantagraph)
CLIMATE:
• A unique, historic Detroit neighborhood designed around canals and waterfront parks is prone to “climate gentrification,” when people with resources to manage flood risks could displace those without them. (Planet Detroit)
• The Illinois Department of Natural Resources releases a climate action plan that calls for pollinator habitats at solar projects, electric vehicle charging stations in state parks and more electric vehicles. (WMBD)
EFFICIENCY: A Wisconsin Senate committee rejects an update to the state’s commercial building codes that supporters say would improve efficiency, reduce emissions and save costs for building owners. (Wisconsin Examiner)
PIPELINES:
• Iowa regulators reject a carbon pipeline developer’s proposed schedule for the remainder of the company’s permitting process. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
• A carbon pipeline developer plans to re-submit a permit application to address North Dakota regulators’ concerns about a lack of alternative routes. (Globe Gazette)
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SOLAR:
• A Kansas homeowners association intends to place a lien on a couple’s property, claiming they improperly installed solar panels on their home. (KWCH)
• Construction continues on a northern Wisconsin municipal utility’s first community solar project that is already fully subscribed. (WDIO)
COMMENTARY:
• The head of an advanced energy trade group in Michigan says proposed state clean energy policies could create 160,000 jobs and grow the state’s GDP by 2.5% by 2050. (Energy News Network)
• The organizer of an anti-CO2 pipeline group says a project developer is attempting to gaslight landowners into believing the pipelines are always safe and wouldn’t rupture. (Sun-Times)
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