UTILITIES: Dozens of Detroit residents attend a first-of-its-kind public hearing on a DTE Energy rate case, hoping state regulators avoid “rubber stamping” another increase for the utility. (Energy News Network / Planet Detroit)
OIL & GAS: Michigan’s largest municipal utility holds a ceremony for a new $500 million, 250 MW natural gas plant that will displace the utility’s remaining coal-fired generation. (Lansing State Journal)
OHIO: FirstEnergy customers could receive part of a $49 million settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit stemming from the HB 6 corruption scandal. (Cleveland.com)
EFFICIENCY: An Evergy proposal to invest $96 million in energy efficiency programs in Kansas faces uncertainty as regulators and stakeholders debate where the money should come from. (Kansas Reflector)
PIPELINES:
• Federal regulators will hold three public meetings over the next month to gather input on Enbridge’s plan to tunnel Line 5 beneath the Straits of Mackinac. (MLive)
• Officials in a western Iowa county raise concerns about the potential use of eminent domain for a carbon capture pipeline, while the developer says nearly 70% of landowners along the route have signed an easement. (KMTV)
• Public safety concerns over a separate carbon pipeline through Iowa are highlighted at a public meeting that drew roughly 200 people. (Radio Iowa)
GRID:
• Kansas regulators are divided over whether to support more interstate transmission lines in an effort to prevent future scenarios seen during a cold weather snap in February 2021. (Topeka Capital-Journal)
• Two utilities partner on the construction of a $439 million, 95-mile transmission line through southeastern North Dakota. (Bismarck Tribune)
• A federal appeals court dismisses a third-party developer’s lawsuit seeking more competition in the construction of transmission lines in grid operator MISO’s territory. (Utility Dive)
TRANSPORTATION: Supporters of a proposed passenger rail route between southeastern and northwestern Michigan say the project would help reduce transportation emissions while growing tourism. (Michigan Advance)
COMMENTARY:
• Ohio lawmakers are misguided in their efforts to promote the purported economic benefits of natural gas development, which also discourages other types of economic development, a researcher says. (Ohio Capital Journal)
• Michigan needs to continue expanding its voluntary green power purchasing programs to remain competitive and offer corporations options for purchasing renewable energy, advanced energy advocates write. (Energy News Network)
• Tax incentives, favorable energy rates, available land and inclusive social policies will be key for helping Michigan retain advanced automobile manufacturing jobs, a columnist writes. (Michigan Advance)
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