Those living near the Palisades nuclear power plant in Southwest Michigan remain divided over plans to resurrect it. The proposed recommissioning would be the first for a retired nuclear plant in the United States — but could pave the way for more. At a recent meeting in Benton Harbor that marked the opening of a federal public comment period, some of the plant’s neighbors said they were excited about the jobs it would bring back or the low-carbon electricity it would send flowing back onto the grid. Others were skeptical that the recommissioning would be cost-effective or safe. The public comment period ends on July 29.
Across the Upper Midwest, communities located close to aging dams are also asking tough questions about the risks they face following the partial failure of Minnesota’s Rapidan Dam late last month. In that case, near-record flooding throughout the region added to the strain on a century-old dam that was already vulnerable. But extreme rainfall events are becoming more common with climate change. And old hydroelectric structures like the Rapidan Dam aren’t getting any younger. There are almost 200 dams in poor condition in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, including 13 that pose a “high” hazard risk if they fail, an analysis by Inside Climate News found.
The Biden administration is giving $1.7 billion to 11 “shuttered or at-risk” U.S. auto factories in eight states to support the production of electric vehicles. Over half of the recipients are in the Great Lakes region, including a General Motors facility in Lansing, Mich. that is slated to receive $500 million and a pair of Chrysler facilities in Belvidere, Ill. and Kokomo, Ind. that were awarded a combined $584.8 million. The U.S. Department of Energy said the funding would help to preserve an estimated 15,000 jobs and create about 3,000 more.
Under a new Michigan law, homeowners associations (HOA) can no longer block their members from installing rooftop solar. About 75 million people in the U.S. live under HOAs, and close to two-thirds of states have similar laws in place, including Illinois and Wisconsin. Without such laws, HOAs are often free to impose blanket bans on rooftop solar or tack on extra costs to the installation process.
A recent Supreme Court ruling on a federal bribery law has further delayed the sentencing of the four people convicted in Illinois’ ComEd corruption trial. A ruling isn’t expected until at least November, a year and a half after the guilty verdict and four years after the defendants were indicted. If the convictions stand, sentencing could finally take place in 2025.
More energy news, in case you missed it:
- Hundreds of thousands lost power in Illinois and Indiana as back-to-back severe storms swept through this week.
- Ohio officials have received two requests to allow fracking under the Leesville Wildlife Area in the eastern part of the state.
- Michigan cut incentives for a Ford electric vehicle battery plant by upwards of $600 million in response to the company’s decision to scale back the project.
- Illinois is investing $30 million to create over 1,000 solar energy jobs on the South and West sides of Chicago over the next three years.
- The first U.S. public charging network for off-road vehicles is now open in Michigan.
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
Energy News Roundup: Great Lakes shipping industry says it could use decarbonization funding too
Energy News Roundup: Industry groups fight federal emissions rules they say will hurt region
Featured image: Shirley Wind Farm in Green Bay, Wisc. (Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Energy)
