AEP under fire over targeted shutoffs

Midwest Energy News will not be published Monday, June 20, for the Juneteenth holiday. Thanks for reading, and we’ll be back Tuesday.

UTILITIES: Columbus, Ohio’s NAACP chapter, along with city and elected officials, question why AEP disconnected power this week in many low-income and neighborhoods of color; the utility says it was a necessary last resort to preserve the grid. (Columbus Dispatch)

CLIMATE:
• Extreme heat and widespread power outages has Ohio conservation groups calling on state lawmakers to take action on climate. (Cleveland.com)
• Wisconsin Democrats plan to introduce a climate and jobs package to build on the state’s Clean Energy Plan despite Republican opposition. (Wisconsin Public Radio)

PIPELINES: A developer alters the route of a proposed 1,300-mile carbon capture pipeline through Iowa after an ethanol plant partners with a different pipeline project. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

SOLAR:
• A developer receives local approval to build two solar projects in central Illinois. (Heart of Illinois)
• Nebraska Public Power District will hold a ribbon cutting next week for an 8.5 MW solar project, which will be the largest in the state. (Norfolk Daily News)
• Local officials seek more information before Evergy moves forward with a 13 MW solar project near Topeka, Kansas. (Capital-Journal)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Winnebago recently completed a 1,300-mile round trip with its e-RV, the first electric motorhome to be produced. (Globe Gazette)
• A new White House program encourages employers and local governments to use $800 million in job training funds for workers in emerging industries, including electric vehicles. (Reuters)

GRID: Illinois electric cooperative officials say the early closure of downstate coal facilities risks rolling blackouts caused by a lack of power on the grid. (Journal Courier)

EMISSIONS: The U.S. Department of Energy funds 18 projects that will develop new technologies to make buildings carbon negative and help remove carbon emissions. (CBS News)

BIOFUELS: The U.S. House passes a bill that would lift seasonal restrictions on the sale of gasoline with 15% ethanol blends. (E&E News)

BIOENERGY:
• A large Nebraska concrete plant will burn biomass for energy as an alternative to natural gas and other fossil fuel, though plant owners vow to not use treated seeds used at a now-closed ethanol plant. (Norfolk Daily News)
• Researchers present preliminary findings involving contamination in soil and wildlife around the former Nebraska ethanol plant that was ordered to close in February 2021. (Lincoln Journal Star)