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
Complaint alleges ComEd violated state law by raising fees on customer bills — Capitol News Illinois
Businesses file a complaint with Illinois regulators claiming ComEd improperly raised customer bills this summer through a provision in the state’s 2021 climate law allowing utilities to recoup carbon mitigation efforts.
Indiana
Battery parts maker Entek breaks ground on $1.5B manufacturing campus in western Indiana — Associated Press
A company breaks ground on a $1.5 billion battery manufacturing plant in Indiana that’s expected to create nearly 650 jobs.
Alliance aims for equitable placement of EV chargers — Inside Indiana Business
A coalition of 25 Indiana organizations urges state officials to ensure equity is considered as the state spends at least $100 million on electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
NIPSCO files plans to build $644 million natural gas peaker at R.M. Schahfer Generating Station — Times of Northwest Indiana
Indiana utility NIPSCO files plans to build a $644 million natural gas peaker plant that utility officials say is necessary to balance grid resources as more renewables come online.
Michigan
Other states are raking in hundreds of millions of dollars for rural energy projects. Michigan is not. — Michigan Radio
Agriculture experts say lack of awareness about the program is causing Michigan to miss out on federal funding to help rural small businesses and farms install clean energy projects.
Sierra Club head Ben Jealous advocates in Michigan for clean energy tech production — Michigan Advance
The executive director of the Sierra Club says passing Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 100% carbon-free electricity standard would bring hundreds of millions of dollars in federal investments to the state.
Consumers releases 56 young turtles rescued from pipeline path — WZZM
Consumers Energy says its crews rescued and relocated 56 turtle hatchlings that were in the path of the Mid-Michigan Pipeline Project.
Isabella sets escrow fees for solar farms — Morning Sun
A central Michigan county adopts requirements for escrow accounts to pay for permits and site reviews in preparation for anticipated large solar projects.
DTE’s Fermi 2 nuclear power plant is back online following leak — Metro Times
A southeastern Michigan nuclear plant is back online after being down for more than three weeks because of a leak.
Climate change, bad infrastructure drives away Michigan residents, report says — Bridge
A report by public policy researchers suggests Michigan’s lagging grid reliability and relatively high electricity rates are contributing to the state’s population decline.
Minnesota
Defense Department awards $20.6 million to support nickel prospecting in Minnesota and Michigan — Associated Press
The Department of Defense awards $20.6 million for nickel prospecting in Minnesota and Michigan in hopes of building a domestic supply chain for critical minerals used in technology like lithium ion batteries.
US pipeline protester has ‘no regrets’ after conviction for felony obstruction — The Guardian
A protester arrested during a 2021 Line 3 pipeline demonstration in Minnesota is found guilty of felony obstruction and awaits sentencing.
Judge dismisses remaining Line 3 charges against Indigenous activists, citing longstanding government mistreatment — Minnesota Reformer
A Minnesota judge dismisses misdemeanor criminal charges against Indigenous author and activist Winona LaDuke and two others accused of disrupting Line 3 construction in Minnesota.
Minnesota program helps manufacturers train their teams for an all-electric future — Energy News Network
A Minnesota manufacturer that for decades made diesel-powered refrigeration and heating units partners with the University of Minnesota on a new electrification graduate certificate.
New state waste management plan supports trash incinerators; advocates demand their closure, citing adverse health impacts — Sahan Journal
Despite mounting public opposition and pollution concerns to a downtown Minneapolis trash incinerator, a draft state plan views incinerators as an asset for managing waste.
Minnesota regulators stick with decision for smaller rate increase than Xcel wanted — Star Tribune
Minnesota regulators unanimously reject Xcel Energy’s request to reconsider a prior decision to limit the utility’s requested $440 million rate increase.
Ohio
Their names appeared on letters urging fracking Ohio’s state parks. They don’t know how. — Cleveland.com
Dozens of Ohio residents say their names and contact information were used without their knowledge or permission in public comments urging a state commission to allow fracking in state parks.
Top Dem, environmentalists call for probe of comments urging fracking in Ohio state parks — Cleveland.com
Two environmental groups and a ranking Ohio Democrat call for an investigation into the use of unknowing residents’ names and addresses submitted in support of drilling for oil and gas in state parks.
Ohio AG investigating disputed public comments that urge fracking in state parks — Allegheny Front
Ohio’s attorney general is investigating allegations of falsified public comments submitted to state regulators that were in favor of gas drilling in state parks.
Local injection wells suspended over ‘imminent danger’ to drinking water — Athens County Independent
Ohio officials order four fracking-waste injection wells to halt operations because they pose an imminent danger to public health and the environment.
Ohio bill would bar utilities from charging customers for politics — Energy and Policy Institute
An Ohio Democratic lawmaker introduces a bill to bar utilities from charging customers for political influence activities and improve transparency to prevent future corruption scandals.
Supreme Court passes on Ohio solar farm appeal; Developers remain ‘committed’ — Cleveland.com
The Ohio Supreme Court dismisses a request to overturn a state board’s denial of a permit for a proposed 175 MW solar project.
Wisconsin
Bills favoring Wisconsin utilities killed by out-of-state company, conservative group, former regulator says — Wisconsin State Journal
A former Wisconsin regulator says an out-of-state company and a conservative advocacy group worked to block state legislation last year that would have given in-state utilities first rights to build transmission projects.
National
The future of the Midwest includes hazardous heat, and most of our homes are not ready — KCUR
Climate experts worry that Midwest homes located in a future “extreme heat belt” are not built to handle rising temperatures caused by climate change.
Electric Vehicles Have Become a Weapon in the War on Autoworkers — The New Republic
The electric vehicle transition has become a flashpoint in the contract standoff between Michigan automakers and the UAW, which seeks guarantees that its workers will be part of the shift.
How utilities are partnering with GM, BMW, Lyft and others in the auto sector to accelerate EV adoption — Utility Dive
U.S. utilities are increasingly working with automakers, car dealerships and ride-hailing services to prepare for the electric load growth anticipated from electric vehicles.
As EPA drowns in CCS applications, oil states want to take control — E&E News
Carbon capture developers, lawmakers, and others frustrated with the slow pace of permitting want the U.S. EPA to hand off authority to states.
Extremists keep trying to trigger mass blackouts — and that’s not even the scariest part — Politico
A growing number of cybersecurity and physical attacks on the U.S. power grid alarms experts who say communication gaps between law enforcement and regulators have left leaders in the dark about the extent of the threats.
The biomethane boondoggle that could derail clean hydrogen — Canary Media
Environmental watchdogs warn of the renewable natural gas industry’s push to secure tax credits for producers who use carbon offsets to claim fossil fuel-based hydrogen is clean.
Indigenous tribes urge federal officials to deny loan request for Superior natural gas plant — WCCO
Tribes in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin call on federal officials to deny a utility’s request for a $350 million public loan to finance the construction of a northern Wisconsin gas plant.
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
Energy News Roundup: Opposition over solar development in Illinois, Excessive heat in Detroit
