CLIMATE: With only a few weeks left in Minnesota’s legislative session, a chasm still exists between Senate Republicans and House Democrats on key climate and environmental legislation.(Star Tribune)
SOLAR:
• Missouri lawmakers advance legislation that would prevent homeowners’ associations from banning rooftop solar on homes. (News-Leader)
• DTE Energy officials say solar power is poised to exceed wind as the utility’s primary clean energy source in the coming years. (WXYZ)
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GRID:
• Grid operator MISO raises concerns about potential capacity shortfalls this summer, leaving some areas at risk of temporary outages. (Utility Dive)
• The Biden administration appeals a federal court ruling that blocked construction on a controversial transmission project between Iowa and Wisconsin. (E&E News, subscription)
UTILITIES:
• Utilities in North Dakota and Minnesota are courting cryptocurrency mining as a way to boost electricity sales, though critics say the efforts prop up demand for fossil fuels. (Star Tribune)
• FirstEnergy accepted a nearly $12 million loan from an economic development nonprofit in 2015 to demolish an Ohio coal plant and prepare the site for an ethane cracker plant, but the loan was forgiven within two years and it’s unclear whether the new facility will be built. (Ohio Capital Journal)
PIPELINES:
• Key legal disputes remain involving the fate of the Line 5 pipeline as it currently operates in the Straits of Mackinac, as well as whether Enbridge will be able to move forward with a tunnel project. (Michigan Advance)
• The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club reports that a majority of counties that would be impacted by a proposed carbon pipeline project have formally objected to the plan. (Globe Gazette)
• Ahead of planned carbon pipelines, Iowa counties consider supporting more stringent pipeline regulations that were developed in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline project. (Fort Madison Daily Democrat)
• A carbon pipeline developer says federal regulators mandate emergency safety plans for first responders as part of new projects. (Aberdeen News)
CLEAN ENERGY: Local environmental advocates will make the case for Columbia, Missouri, to accelerate its 100% renewable energy target by five years to 2030. (Columbia Missourian)
OIL & GAS: North Dakota experienced a temporary 70% drop in oil production last week following a blizzard that caused widespread infrastructure challenges. (Bismarck Tribune)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A growing number of states are pursuing policies to halt the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2030, an idea that once seemed politically radical. (Grist)
• Long-standing rivalries among the three major Detroit-based automakers remain as they each compete for electric vehicle market share. (CNBC)
• Ameren buys seven Rivian electric pickup trucks as part of the St. Louis utility’s plan to electrify its vehicle fleet. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
BIOFUELS: A majority of recently surveyed rural bankers in 10 Midwest states don’t believe the Biden administration’s temporary waiver allowing gasoline sales with higher blends of ethanol will benefit the regional economy. (Bismarck Tribune)
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