As automakers shift to EVs, what will become of old factories?

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: As Michigan automakers and suppliers use public subsidies to build new electric vehicle factories, an investigation finds they are abandoning older, contaminated sites with little environmental accountability. (Bridge)

ALSO:

• Contract negotiations at a northeast Ohio electric vehicle battery plant carry high stakes for the electric vehicle transition as union leaders aim to establish a high bar for pay and benefits. (New York Times)

• The Air Force begins building its first electric aircraft charging station on a military installation in Florida, Ohio. (Dayton Daily News)

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CO2 PIPELINES:

• An Iowa county attorney suggests local governments could deny building permits for carbon capture facilities, introducing a new legal strategy to try to block controversial pipeline projects. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

• Proposed rule changes in North Dakota would encourage the use of captured CO2 emissions to recover more oil and gas, but some worry they would delay plugging and reclamation of old wells. (Bismarck Tribune)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Minnesota regulators invite public input as they begin implementing a new law requiring them to consider the cumulative impact of air pollution in a neighborhood when considering new permits. (Star Tribune)

SOLAR:

• The Illinois Solar Tour this weekend will showcase more than 100 solar installations on homes, businesses and nonprofits. (Daily Herald)

• An Iowa county adopts tighter restrictions on utility-scale solar projects that will require decommissioning plans and longer setbacks from neighboring properties. (Gazette)

STORAGE:

• Wisconsin’s Alliant Energy will use a $30 million federal grant to build the country’s first commercial scale CO2-based energy storage system. (WPR)

• Xcel Energy receives a $70 million federal grant to install long-duration iron-air batteries on its systems in Minnesota and Colorado. (Star Tribune)

WIND: A recent study of three Iowa counties finds that wind farms are generating significant local tax revenue for all three. (Yale Climate Connections)

CLEAN ENERGY:

• An Ann Arbor, Michigan, green fair on Friday spotlighted the city’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. (Michigan Daily)

• Ohio clean energy and transportation jobs grew by 4.6% in 2022, ranking third among Midwest states, according to an industry report. (Vindicator)

TRANSMISSION: Wisconsin Republicans revive a divisive bill that would shield local utilities from out-of-state competition for long-distance power line projects. (Wisconsin State Journal)

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OIL & GAS: A natural gas aggregation program by more than a dozen suburban Dayton, Ohio, cities is delayed due to a lack of interest from suppliers, which cited market volatility in not submitting bids. (Dayton Daily News)

COMMENTARY:

• A clean energy advocate writes that new federal incentives can be a game-changer for Missouri utilities — if they seize the moment. (Joplin Globe)

• An Ohio nurse and clean air advocate writes that curbing methane pollution from oil and gas drilling would be one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to safeguard children from asthma. (Vindicator)