OHIO: Recent filings show Ohio utilities will resume billing customers to subsidize two aging coal plants as state regulators continue to sit on cases challenging the legality of the provisions under HB 6, the controversial bill at the heart of the state’s largest corruption scandal. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: Ohio lawmakers seeking to repeal the subsidies hope to maneuver around Speaker Jason Stephens, who has one of the affected plants in his district; “It is an absolute shame and embarrassment to me that we have not completely wiped off these illegal acts from the books,” says a backer of the bill. (Ohio Capital Journal)

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EQUITY: A recent decision by Minnesota regulators to limit Xcel Energy’s proposed rate increase came after a push from advocates for low-income ratepayers, voices that “aren’t historically in these proceedings,” according to an attorney. (Sahan Journal)

SOLAR:
• Illinois is again offering incentives for solar projects after reforming a program that had experienced an application backlog last year. (Energy News Network)
• A pair of Ohio Republicans introduce a bill to establish a community solar program in the state, including grants to develop brownfield sites. (PV Magazine)
• Work begins on a 50 MW solar array in Wisconsin. (Wisconsin State Journal)

ELECTRIFICATION: Wisconsin’s Senate passes bills that would prohibit local governments from restricting natural gas hookups and preserve access to gasoline-powered cars and power equipment. (Associated Press)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: General Motors says it doesn’t plan to open or close any new plants as it transitions to electric vehicles. (Automotive News, subscription)

NATURAL GAS: A new 1,875 MW power plant goes online in southeastern Ohio, tapping into fracked gas from the Marcellus and Utica shales. (Power Engineering)

MATERIALS: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers revokes a key permit for a proposed copper-nickel mine in northern Minnesota, citing threats to water supplies for the nearby Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. (Minnesota Public Radio)

PIPELINES: A South Dakota county rejects tougher setback rules for carbon dioxide pipelines as developers push Iowa regulators to approve their permit before the end of the year. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

NUCLEAR: Miss America Grace Stanke promotes nuclear power at the annual meeting of a Wisconsin power cooperative. (WIZM)

COMMENTARY: A columnist says an effort by Ohio lawmakers to require signatures from all 88 counties for ballot measures undermines “the last possible avenue of accountability for voters against our corrupt, out-of-control legislature.” (Ohio Capital Journal)

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Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.