OIL & GAS: Ohio’s attorney general is investigating allegations of falsified public comments submitted to state regulators that were in favor of gas drilling in state parks. (Allegheny Front)
ALSO: The last of four men charged in a scheme to steal millions of dollars worth of crude oil in western North Dakota has been sentenced to nearly a year in jail and a $200,000 fine. (Associated Press)
Sponsored Link
A Powerful Opportunity for Midwest Businesses
CPower Energy Webinar: Learn how to unlock value through demand response and energy efficiency programs. In this live discussion, businesses will gain insight into grid services that can help them earn money and save on energy costs by boosting their community’s reliability. Register now!
NUCLEAR: Minnesota emerges as a test case in the role of nuclear energy in decarbonization strategies, as the state sets out on a 2040 carbon-free power goal with a moratorium on new nuclear construction. (Project Optimist)
PIPELINES: The developer of the Navigator carbon capture pipeline has paused land easement work in South Dakota and parts of Iowa a week after state regulators rejected the company’s permit request. (KELO)
GRID: About 49 GW of planned capacity, mostly from renewables and storage, clears grid operator MISO’s interconnection queue, but the projects on average face two-year delays before operations start. (Utility Dive)
CLEAN ENERGY: Michigan Democrats plan to extend a deadline to meet a 100% carbon-free electricity target in proposed legislation by five years, to 2040. (Bridge Michigan)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Nonprofit groups pushing for a Ford electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan are funded by dark money contributions and linked to Michigan Democrats and associates of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. (Detroit Free Press)
• A judge dismisses landowners’ challenge to the Ford plant, which would be located in south-central Michigan, allowing the project to proceed. (WOOD-TV)
SOLAR:
• The Michigan Senate advances legislation that would allow farmers to lease their land for solar projects while still participating in a state preservation program that includes tax incentives. (Michigan Advance)
• A Kansas county passes a six-month moratorium on commercial solar development after public pushback to a proposed 103 MW project. (KMUW)
• A southern Indiana city advances new commercial solar zoning regulations that require waivers to build projects in certain areas and include at least 1.5-mile setbacks from the city limits. (The Republic)
• A Minneapolis nonprofit serving American Indian youths whose headquarters was destroyed three years ago during civil unrest rebuilds with a rooftop solar installation. (Finance & Commerce)
POWER PLANTS: Backers of a $1.2 billion, 950 MW natural gas plant in Lordstown, Ohio, tout the economic benefits of the project. (Youngstown Vindicator)
Sponsored Link
Illinois Renewable Energy Conference
Illinois Renewable Energy Conference will be on September 20-21 in Normal, Illinois. The conference will be focused on all aspects of renewable energy in the state. Visit our website here for more information.
UTILITIES: Minnesota regulators unanimously reject Xcel Energy’s request to reconsider a prior decision to limit the utility’s requested $440 million rate increase. (Star Tribune)
COMMENTARY: Two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers propose state-level funding and call for efforts to secure more federal funding for electric school buses to reduce students’ exposure to diesel pollution. (MinnPost)
More from the Energy News Network: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West