CLEAN ENERGY: The Minnesota Senate passes a bill requiring 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040, marking a “turning point” in the state’s fight against climate change; Gov. Tim Walz has vowed to sign it. (Star Tribune)
EFFICIENCY: About two-thirds of Minneapolis homes listed for sale have inadequate insulation, highlighting a hidden barrier to the city’s climate goals and financial obstacles for homeowners. (Energy News Network)
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OHIO:
• Text messages show that FirstEnergy officials reveled in a lobbyist’s ability to secure a state plane to retrieve lawmakers for a crucial vote on the company’s power plant bailout legislation. (Associated Press)
• The messages displayed during former House Speaker Larry Householder’s trial Thursday show close coordination between FirstEnergy executives, lobbyists and lawmakers in passing HB 6. (Ohio Capital Journal)
STORAGE: Alliant Energy announces plans for a battery storage project at the site of a Sheboygan, Wisconsin, coal plant scheduled to close in 2025. (WHBL)
AIR POLLUTION: A Minneapolis lawmaker introduces legislation creating new reporting standards and requiring more community outreach when companies seek state permits. (Sahan Journal)
PIPELINES: Two months after the Keystone pipeline spilled in Kansas, nearby landowners have conflicted feelings about the pipeline and the cleanup. (KCUR)
UTILITIES:
• Detroit-based DTE Energy had the third highest number of electricity disconnections among residential customers in 2021 and 2022, according to a watchdog report on utilities in 35 states. (Michigan Radio)
• Consumers advocates raise concerns about the impacts of Ameren Missouri’s proposed $316 million rate increase on low-income customers. (St. Louis Public Radio)
SOLAR: Local officials advance plans for a 34-acre, 7.5 MW solar project in southeastern Wisconsin. (Kenosha News)
OIL & GAS: A North Dakota bill would remove a requirement for oil producers to pay higher taxes when oil prices reach high levels, a move that critics say would cost the state millions in lost revenue. (Bismarck Tribune)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Ford’s sales increased 2% in January over the prior year, boosted by record sales of its all-electric vehicles. (Detroit News)
• Electric vehicle advocates push back on Kansas legislation that would impose a new tax at charging stations, saying it amounts to double taxation that would remove incentives for purchasing electric vehicles. (Kansas Reflector)
BIOFUELS: A Madison, Wisconsin, company is producing jet fuel made from plants for airlines piloting the fuel on flights. (Wisconsin State Journal)
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RENEWABLES: A national solar trade group urges federal regulators to lift grid operator MISO’s ban on renewable energy producers’ ability to sell ancillary services, which could open up new revenue streams for generators. (Utility Dive)
COMMENTARY:
• A South Dakota climate advocate says it’s imperative that state officials prepare to administer federally funded programs for homeowners to take advantage of renewable energy and efficiency tax credits. (South Dakota Searchlight)
• A Michigan advanced energy trade group says an “energy jobs agenda” can be a unifying theme as lawmakers gear up for a potentially consequential year for energy policy. (Bridge Michigan)
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