By Andy Balaskovitz, Energy News Network
This story was first published on the Energy News Network and was republished here with permission.
PIPELINES: Enbridge will pay more than $11 million to settle water quality violations and three aquifer breaches related to Line 3 construction in northern Minnesota; Attorney General Keith Ellison also announced a misdemeanor criminal charge for the company’s alleged taking of water without a permit. (Associated Press)
ALSO: A carbon pipeline developer files for a transportation permit in North Dakota and will seek separate permits later for the underground storage component of the project. (Bismarck Tribune)
CLEAN ENERGY: Minneapolis’ first African American community center that now serves as a key site for integrated community services will undergo significant clean energy upgrades to help lower energy costs. (Sahan Journal)
GRID: DTE Energy disputes a recent report suggesting that the utility has prioritized grid infrastructure upgrades in wealthier, White communities ahead of low-income communities of color in southeastern Michigan. (WDET)
WIND: Voters in a northern Ohio county will decide next month whether to allow construction of a proposed 300 MW wind project. (Bucyrus Telegraph Forum)
SOLAR:
• A southwestern Minnesota school district will add solar panels to all five of its schools that administrators say will cut costs while providing educational opportunities to students. (Marshall Independent)
• A developer presents plans for a 40 MW solar project in southwestern Nebraska that would supply power to the Nebraska Public Power District and generate at least $140,000 a year for the county. (McCook Gazette)
• Utility and local officials this week will celebrate the completion of a 3.2 MW community solar project in southeastern Nebraska. (News-Times)
• Central Illinois officials will consider renewing a permit for the second time for a planned 36-acre solar project. (Journal Gazette)
• Local officials approve plans for a 5 MW community solar project in northern Illinois. (News Tribune)
EMISSIONS: Critics say a new Michigan carbon credit trading program relying on thousands of acres of new forests is misleading and won’t lead to meaningful emission reductions from companies. (Great Lakes Echo)
RENEWABLES: Investments in wind and solar are set to outpace oil and gas drilling for the first time this year amid widespread market disruptions and spiking prices. (E&E News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: An automotive policy advisor at the Chicago Fed says the growing use of large incentive packages to lure electric vehicle and battery manufacturing plants is an inefficient yet necessary strategy for states. (MiBiz)
ADVOCACY: Clean energy advocacy groups the Rocky Mountain Institute and Indiana Environmental Council each name new leaders. (news release, Indianapolis Star)
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
Judge refuses to shut down Line 5, but says Enbridge is trespassing on Native American reservation
Judge retains jurisdiction in lawsuit over Enbridge pipeline
Featured image: A marker indicates the location of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. (Great Lakes Now Episode 1024)
