ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Ohio-based electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors files for bankruptcy and sues its former partner Foxconn, accusing the company of fraud and not following through on promises to invest. (CNN)
ALSO:
• Iowa will receive $43.5 million in federal funding to buy zero- and low-emission buses, which local officials call an “amazing opportunity” to transform the transit system. (Globe Gazette)
• Former President Donald Trump claims during a rally in Michigan that electric vehicles will topple the state’s economy, though studies have shown that such job loss claims are inflated and not backed by evidence. (MLive, Bridge Michigan)
OIL & GAS: Recent severe weather caused power outages and unplanned gas flaring at a northwestern Indiana oil refinery, where surrounding neighbors complained of sulfur smells. (Indiana Public Radio)
SOLAR:
• A new partnership is bringing rooftop solar installations to multifamily affordable housing buildings in the Twin Cities, creating opportunities for tenants to reduce electricity bills. (Sahan Journal)
• Detroit’s mayor wants to use vacant city property for solar panels in neighborhoods that have been calling for repurposing the land with clean energy. (Detroit News, subscription)
• An Iowa county extends a moratorium on utility-scale solar projects for three months as new zoning regulations are finalized. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• Michigan lawmakers say adopting bills to allow for community solar projects will also help attract federal funding to projects. (Michigan Advance)
• A Purdue University campus library receives grant funding for a solar installation to power all of its lighting and technology. (Inside Indiana Business)
CARBON CAPTURE: North Dakota regulators are considering whether to make public data about risks from a carbon pipeline incident, which the developer claims should only be seen by state and federal regulators. (Minot Daily News)
CLIMATE:
• Large industrial companies operating in red states where lawmakers have sought to crack down on environmental, social and governance investment policies still find that ESG practices are good for business. (NPR)
• Ames, Iowa, officials unanimously approve the city’s first climate action plan, which calls for an 83% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050. (Ames Tribune)
NUCLEAR:
• The owner of an Illinois nuclear plant reaches an agreement with surrounding taxing entities on how much it owes in property taxes, settling years of ongoing appeals. (Ogle County News)
• Federal regulators plan to issue within the next two months the findings of a safety investigation into an Ohio nuclear plant after ground settling affected a fire protection water line. (WTVG)
• Ohio consumer advocates urge federal regulators to reject Vistra’s plan to buy Energy Harbor’s nuclear plants and other assets, claiming the deal will hurt competition in wholesale and retail markets. (Utility Dive)
GEOTHERMAL: A Minnesota city hall is installing a geothermal system that helps the facility near net-zero status. (KTTC)
BIOFUELS: Iowa gas station owners will receive more than $2.5 million in federal funding to install infrastructure that improves consumer access to higher blends of biofuels. (Des Moines Register)
COMMENTARY: The race to vehicle electrification could bring benefits and drawbacks to Michigan, a state historically reliant on the auto industry, a columnist writes. (Michigan Advance)
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