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AES looks to be first Indiana utility off coal

By Andy Balaskovitz

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UTILITIES: AES Indiana announces plans to convert its remaining coal units to run on natural gas and add up to 1,300 MW of renewables by 2027, becoming the state’s first investor-owned utility to stop burning coal. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

ELECTRIFICATION: A GOP-backed bill in Minnesota to prevent municipalities from banning gas stoves gets a hearing in a Democratic-led committee, though its chances of advancing are unlikely. (Star Tribune)

POLITICS: A bipartisan bill would require more extensive federal national security reviews of certain real estate purchases by foreign countries of concern in response to a debate over a proposed Michigan battery manufacturing plant. (E&E News, subscription)

GRID:

  • A new scorecard says most regional grid operators have been too slow to adapt to market conditions with dysfunctional interconnection processes that slow clean energy projects. (States Newsroom)
  • A Minnesota bill aiming to streamline clean energy and transmission permitting was spurred by a work group that built consensus among local governments, clean energy businesses and advocates, utilities, farmers and landowners. (MPR News)

PIPELINES:

  • North Dakota regulators will meet on Monday to set a schedule for hearings on Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed carbon pipeline and storage project. (North Dakota Monitor)
  • A federal appeals court in Cincinnati will hear arguments next week over whether Michigan’s lawsuit to decommission Line 5 should be in state or federal court. (Journal Sentinel)

OIL & GAS: A new study finds U.S. oil and gas producers may be emitting three times more methane than EPA estimates. (E&E News, subscription)

SOLAR: A northern Michigan utility signs a 20-year, $14.3 million contract to purchase power from a 140 MW solar project near Ann Arbor. (Record-Eagle)

CLIMATE: Iowa and South Dakota are among just five states that declined to participate in a federal program that will provide $4.6 billion to cities, states, and tribes to implement local climate plans. (CBS News)

BIOENERGY: An Iowa city explores partnering with a California firm to generate electricity from methane captured at a local landfill and sell the power back to the grid. (KYOU)

COMMENTARY: An electric vehicle rideshare company representative calls for federal incentives that encourage EV charging stations in cities and that cover both upfront costs and maintenance. (Utility Dive)