Advocates optimistic for revived Illinois solar program

SOLAR: Increased state funding for community outreach will help raise awareness about an Illinois solar program for low-income residents and also help prepare households for installations. (Energy News Network)

ALSO:
• Ohio ranks eighth for total solar-sector jobs after the industry added nearly 900 jobs in 2021, according to a recent industry survey. (Cleveland.com)
• Despite a strong talent pipeline through training programs, Wisconsin solar installers still struggle to find workers to meet demand. (WUWM)
• Construction started this week on a 150 MW solar project in eastern Wisconsin. (Ozaukee Press)
• MidAmerican Energy brings online a 100 MW solar project in Iowa, the utility’s sixth and largest installation to date. (CBS 2)

OHIO: FirstEnergy’s board in November 2021 demanded that former CEO Charles Jones return $56 million in compensation following his alleged role in a bribery scheme, though company officials aren’t clear whether it will be recouped. (Ohio Capital Journal)

PIPELINES: How the U.S. decides to interpret conflicting treaties with Indigenous tribes and Canada could determine the fate of the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. (Michigan Radio)

COAL:
• Vistra Energy details plans to cap a southern Illinois coal ash storage site and build a utility-scale solar project on top of it. (Metropolis Planet)
• Environmental advocates push back on We Energies’ plan to delay the closure of a southeastern Wisconsin coal plant, which critics say was caused by poor planning and would cause unnecessary air pollution. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Two utilities in Indiana have asked state regulators to charge customers for coal ash cleanup costs, and consumer advocates fear more utilities will follow suit. (WFYI)

BIOFUELS:
• A recent industry study says corn-based ethanol has an overall economic impact of $4.5 billion a year in Nebraska and helped drivers save tens of millions of dollars at the pump this spring. (KETV)
• Gov. Tim Walz tours a Minnesota ethanol plant, touting the facility as a way to ​“stay energy independent.” (KEYC)

CLEAN ENERGY: A Wisconsin commission approves a nearly $2.8 million clean energy plan for a University of Wisconsin campus that includes a solar installation and various efficiency measures. (WisPolitics.com)

COMMENTARY: A Wisconsin climate activist says fossil fuel plants are just as prone to temporary failures as renewable energy, and that wind and solar aren’t to blame for potential grid shortfalls. (LaCrosse Tribune)