UTILITIES:
• Critics say a proposed rate hike by Wisconsin’s largest utility to pay for natural gas and solar generation pits low-income residents against clean energy advocates while taking too much profit for shareholders. (Energy News Network)
• Michigan residents will have opportunities at two upcoming energy assistance fairs to apply for financial relief and share energy concerns with state regulators. (MLive)
FINANCE: Two Ohio Republicans seek to add consumer protections to residential Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing programs before they expand statewide. (ProPublica)
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SOLAR:
• A case pending before the Indiana Supreme Court will determine how rooftop solar owners are compensated for power they send back to the grid. (Indianapolis Star)
• A southeastern Wisconsin county approves zoning ordinance changes that will allow for solar projects on land previously zoned for agriculture. (Kenosha News)
• State regulators will hold public hearings next week on a proposed 200 MW solar project in southeastern Minnesota. (Post Bulletin)
• A Michigan startup company launches a service that allows customers to rent solar-powered recreational boats. (Centered)
• County planners in Indiana will again consider proposed setbacks for utility-scale solar projects after wavering in recent months. (The Republic)
POLITICS: U.S. Senate candidates in Wisconsin offer a stark contrast of views on climate change in a race with major implications for control of the Senate. (Inside Climate News)
PIPELINES:
• While not directly on the ballot, the future of the Line 5 pipeline in Michigan could shift depending on the results of next week’s election. (Interlochen Public Radio)
• A carbon pipeline developer’s land surveyor faces a criminal trial next month on trespassing charges after attempting to survey an Iowa landowner’s property for a proposed project. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
• An Iowa county adopts local zoning restrictions on hazardous pipelines as developers seek to build carbon capture pipelines through the region. (KETV)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• North Dakota regulators will hold a public hearing Thursday to begin gathering comments on how the state prepares for transportation electrification. (Bismarck Tribune)
• Illinois opens the second round of applications for a program that offers residents a $4,000 rebate for the purchase of an electric vehicle. (Southern Illinoisan)
• A regional chain of convenience stores has more than doubled the number of electric vehicle chargers at its retail locations and now accounts for nearly 10% of all stations in Iowa. (Radio Iowa)
OIL & GAS:
• A dark-money group aligned with the gas industry is behind a mysterious political action committee that spent more than $1 million on election mailers and digital ads supporting Republican candidates in Ohio in recent months. (Energy and Policy Institute)
• A new Kansas attorney general will likely take over an investigation into natural gas price gouging allegations stemming from a winter storm nearly two years ago. (Topeka Capital-Journal)
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BIOFUELS: An Iowa biofuels producer that received $3.9 million in federal CARES Act pandemic relief is being sued by the U.S. EPA for up to $21.7 million in penalties for alleged Clean Air Act violations. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
COMMENTARY: An Illinois state senator says the state and region would benefit from establishing a hydrogen hub to achieve clean energy targets and bolster the economy. (Chicago Tribune)
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