A de facto renewables ban in Ohio

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Midwest Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

RENEWABLES

• A bill working through the Republican-controlled Ohio legislature would require all new power plants to employ ​“affordable, reliable, and clean” energy sources, which critics say is designed to exclude renewables. (Canary Media)

• An Iowa bill would target clean energy by creating uniform language for counties to adopt to institute setbacks, moratoriums and other siting regulations on renewables. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

CLIMATE

• The Trump administration’s repeal of the endangerment finding could cost Michigan’s gross domestic product about $5.5 billion by 2035, according to a University of Maryland study. (Bridge)

COAL

• The net cost of keeping a Michigan coal plant open has reached $135 million since President Trump ordered the facility to stay online in May 2025. (MLive)

• Two Ohio coal plants will receive a piece of the $175 million the Trump administration announced this week to support operations at plants across the country. (Signal Ohio)

BRIBERY TRIAL

• FirstEnergy’s former chief ethics officer testifies that the utility’s former CEO signed off on a $4.3 million payment that prosecutors say was a bribe to Sam Randazzo, a consultant who would go on to chair the state’s Public Utilities Commission. (Cleveland.com)

• A longtime FirstEnergy lawyer says he was ​“separated” from the company in 2018 after raising concerns for years about suspicious contracts with Randazzo that are now at the center of the bribery trial. (Signal Ohio)

GRID

• Ameren Missouri seeks assurances that it can exit grid connection funding agreements for a 300 MW solar project because of uncertainty over federal funding for a set of transmission projects between the territories of MISO and Southwest Power Pool. (Utility Dive)

DATA CENTERS

• Wisconsin Democrats propose legislation to place a moratorium on data centers statewide until a series of regulations have been established. (Wisconsin Examiner)

• Illinois Democrats and environmental groups propose legislation to require data centers to supply their own clean energy while protecting utility customers from paying for grid infrastructure upgrades. (E&E News)

NUCLEAR

• Vistra seeks to extend its operating license for the Perry Nuclear Plant in Ohio into the 2060s under a long-term power purchase agreement with Facebook owner Meta. (Cleveland.com)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Missouri regulators approve Ameren’s plan for a new gas plant and battery storage facility on the site of the former Rush Island coal plant. (FOX 2)

PIPELINES

• Iowa lawmakers advance legislation to provide more landowner protections during pipeline construction, including measures that would let owners renegotiate damage claims and file complaints against companies with state regulators. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

COMMENTARY

• Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas should veto a narrowly passed ordinance that would cancel the city’s updated building code that requires various energy efficiency measures, writes the owner of a home energy auditing firm. (Kansas City Star)