SOLAR: As Wisconsin regulators consider whether to allow third-party-owned solar projects, advocates say utilities’ fears have not materialized in Iowa since that state authorized the financing mechanism eight years ago. (Energy News Network)
COAL:
• The U.S. EPA says it can’t legally restore an Ohio rule that allowed citizens to bring nuisance lawsuits against polluters such as coal plants but was rolled back under President Trump. (Cleveland.com)
• Xcel Energy expands a regional commitment and says it will stop using coal nationwide by 2030 after announcing that it will close a large Texas coal plant four years earlier than planned. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
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PIPELINES:
• The chairperson of the North Dakota Public Service Commission will recuse herself from siting decisions related to a carbon pipeline after signing a contract with the developer to store CO2 on her land. (Prairie Public Broadcasting)
• A carbon pipeline developer files separate federal lawsuits against two South Dakota counties over a moratorium on hazardous waste pipelines and permit fee increases for such projects. (Aberdeen News)
• The developer of a carbon pipeline has fulfilled a prerequisite allowing it to conduct survey work on private property in South Dakota without landowner permission. (Farm Forum)
• A women-led, Indigenous and environmental rights nonprofit buys a former Minnesota office owned by Enbridge to convert it into a treaty rights and culture museum. (Minnesota Reformer)
CARBON CAPTURE: DTE Energy executives say tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act will help reduce the cost of planned carbon capture and storage projects and support “future baseload generation.” (MiBiz)
GRID:
• Federal regulators approve a Southwest Power Pool proposal for spreading the costs of certain transmission projects in areas with large amounts of wind generation across its footprint. (Utility Dive)
• Illinois regulators recently approved a program between ComEd and two gas utilities that will transmit gas meter data over a smart meter network and eliminate the need for a physical vehicle fleet. (Daily Energy Insider)
EFFICIENCY: A Michigan housing agency awards a $500,000 grant to help fund energy efficiency and electrification upgrades in a lower-income neighborhood aiming to be carbon neutral. (MLive)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Panasonic will break ground this week on a $4 billion electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant outside of Kansas City. (Wichita Eagle)
• Six mostly rural Indiana school districts receive more than $5 million in federal funding to purchase 13 electric and six propane buses. (WFYI)
• The CEO of a southeastern Michigan battery startup hopes to be an industry leader for producing batteries with longer range and greater reliance on more abundant raw materials. (Crains’ Detroit Business, subscription)
• Honda receives up to $71.3 million in additional tax credits for its Ohio electric vehicle manufacturing plants. (Columbus Business Journal, subscription)
NUCLEAR: Two Illinois nuclear plants that nearly closed before receiving state subsidies are now set to continue operating for decades longer. (Crain’s Chicago Business)
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OIL & GAS: U.S. oil output climbed to nearly 12 million barrels per day in August, the highest level since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters)
BIOGAS:
• The University of Wisconsin and a clean energy developer partner on a $20 million facility that will convert dairy farm waste into renewable fuel for various types of vehicles. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
• The Inflation Reduction Act includes tax credits for biogas, which supporters say will help the sector scale up while critics worry about nearby residents’ exposure to health hazards. (Grist)
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