SOLAR: A new Minnesota law will require Xcel Energy to set aside half of its budget for a popular solar incentive program for income-qualified customers. (Energy News Network)
ALSO: Wisconsin regulators reject Madison Gas and Electric’s request to eliminate net metering and change how residential customers are compensated for their excess solar power. (Wisconsin Examiner)
UTILITIES:
- American Electric Power discloses that it is in negotiations with federal regulators to resolve allegations about the utility’s role in the bribery scandal around Ohio’s nuclear bailout bill. (Columbus Dispatch)
- Kansas regulators deny an open records request seeking to disclose invoices of gas suppliers that have been accused of price gouging during a winter 2021 storm. (Capital-Journal)
OIL & GAS: Preventable methane leaks from Ohio oil and gas wells are worth nearly $100 million and present an opportunity to both save money and reduce harmful climate emissions, according to a new report. (Ohio Capital Journal)
PIPELINES:
- A retired professor in Illinois helped build a coalition of landowners that were ultimately successful in fighting the development of a five-state carbon pipeline. (Inside Climate News)
- Iowa regulators resume hearings today after a month-long pause on Summit Carbon Solutions’ permit request for a carbon pipeline, which also would have an expanded footprint in North Dakota. (NWestIowa.com; Iowa Capital Dispatch)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
- Domestic electric vehicle production is at stake as the Biden administration prepares guidance on EV tax breaks that could take a hard line against battery components made in China. (Politico)
- Applications are now open through January in Illinois for up to $4,000 rebates for electric passenger cars and $1,500 for electric motorcycles. (FOX 2)
- Minnesota’s electric vehicle rebate program that received $16 million in state funding earlier this year is still under development. (Star Tribune)
RENEWABLES: Local governments in the tri-state area of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin grapple with zoning regulations as developers pursue a growing number of wind and solar projects. (Telegraph Herald)
CLIMATE: Elected officials and local advocates in southwestern Detroit call for a federal Green New Deal that would increase spending to mitigate disproportionate pollution in environmental justice neighborhoods. (Detroit News)
HYDROGEN: Leaders of a Midwestern hydrogen production hub spanning Illinois, Michigan and Indiana say hydrogen produced by fossil fuels still has the potential to reduce overall emissions. (Post-Tribune)
EFFICIENCY: A $3.1 million Ohio grant program will help low-income communities pay for energy-efficient streetlights and lighting on other municipal properties. (Business Journal)
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