Keep up with energy-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Illinois
- ComEd seeks record-high $1.5 billion rate hike over next 4 years — Chicago Sun-Times
ComEd says that’s the cost of bolstering the region’s electric grid in a statewide effort to phase out carbon emissions and to protect the system from severe weather damage that’s becoming more common due to climate change.
- Activists call for Chicago to rule out natural gas in new buildings, citing health risks, costs and climate change — Chicago Tribune
Chicago environmental and consumer advocates call on city officials to pass a clean buildings ordinance that would effectively ban gas connections in most new buildings.
Indiana
- EPA rule to limit soot could save lives, especially in Indiana’s metro areas — Indiana Public Radio
A U.S. EPA proposal to lower soot emission limits could particularly benefit public health in Indiana metropolitan areas that are close to violating current standards, experts say.
- Scrub Hub: Passing a wind farm, I see some turbines spinning and others motionless. Why? — Indianapolis Star
Regular and unscheduled maintenance, along with the need to curtail excess power on the grid, explain why some wind turbines sit idle while others nearby continue to spin.
Michigan
- DTE-linked dark money group funded campaign to strip Whitmer’s lockdown authority, tax records show — Planet Detroit
A dark-money group linked to DTE Energy contributed $100,000 in 2020 to the Unlock Michigan group that funded an effort challenging Michigan’s COVID-19 lockdown policies.
A new study says 90% of Americans would save by getting an EV. But the lowest-income Americans would be left behind, according to a University of Michigan study.
- Can an electric car handle long highway trips — Detroit Free Press
Will the American tradition of road trips survive the transition to electric vehicles? My experience says yes, but some things will have to change. Here’s my take on a recent trip from Detroit to Nashville and back in a Mercedes EQE.
- With growing backlash to wind energy, Michigan turns to solar power — Bridge Michigan
Large solar projects are expected to be the primary source of new renewable generation in Michigan as wind projects draw public backlash.
- Electric bikes are creating a new economy in Detroit — Bridge Michigan
A Detroit company plans to produce 5,000 electric bikes this year as demand is expected to grow sharply.
- Gas stove debate is the latest political culture war. Here are the facts — Bridge Michigan
The latest in the “climate action culture wars” comes to Michigan as legislative Republicans seek to preemptively block cities from banning natural gas connections in new buildings.
The Environmental Law and Policy Center launched a new initiative to push for parkland as well as solar, energy storage and possibly green hydrogen production at former Michigan coal plants along the Great Lakes.
Minnesota
Minnesota Democrats introduce legislation to require carbon-free electricity statewide by 2040. The standard would push utilities to ditch coal, natural gas and other planet-warming energy sources 10 years sooner than current plans.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s budget proposal includes nearly $458 million over the next two years for weatherization, electric vehicle infrastructure and solar incentives.
New York
After learning her gas stove was leaking methane, a reporter and New York City renter consulted public health experts to learn about the scope of the problem and what people can do to reduce these risks at home.
Ohio
- Dozens of companies, AG Yost, former lawmakers subpoenaed ahead of Householder corruption trial — Ohio Capital Journal
In newly-filed documents, federal prosecutors outlined some of the evidence they plan to bring against former Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives Larry Householder.
- Trustees request ban on wind farms, solar — Salem News
Eastern Ohio township officials request that the county adopt a resolution to ban commercial wind and solar projects.
- How dark money groups led Ohio to redefine gas as ‘green energy’ — Washington Post
Ohio’s new law labeling natural gas as “green energy” was pushed by a pair of dark money political groups that are urging other states to follow suit.
Pennsylvania
As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, PennDOT will receive the federal funds for electric vehicle charging infrastructure over the next five years.
Wisconsin
Developers plan to build a series of commercial buildings at the site of a former Wisconsin coal plant.
- ‘It’s a big deal’: Biden praises Madison’s transit system — Wisconsin State Journal
Speaking at the White House to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Biden said that, in addition to large projects like highways and bridges, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been working with mayors to implement smaller climate-friendly projects such as the city of Madison’s fleet of 46 electric buses.
National
A radio segment explores how a small number of anti-wind groups were able to push a false narrative that offshore wind development was causing whale deaths in the mid-Atlantic, and why some news organizations went along with it.
- What happens if the largest owner of oil and gas wells in the US goes bankrupt? — Environmental Health News
The largest U.S. oil and gas well owner is on the verge of bankruptcy, which could lead to the abandonment of wells throughout Appalachia without plugging them. Diversified Energy’s liabilities exceed its assets, according to a new report, sparking concerns about whether taxpayers will wind up paying to plug its 70,000 wells.
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