Chicago-area mayors press on with EVs

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.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• A coalition of Chicago-area mayors continue work on their EV Readiness program that installs EV chargers in the region in the face of shrinking funding support from the Trump administration. (Canary Media)

GRID

• Environmental groups sue federal energy regulators for approving MISO’s plan to fast-track connecting new power plants to the grid, arguing that it prioritizes fossil fuels over clean energy. (Wisconsin Public Radio)

• The Sierra Club sues over the approval of Southwest Power Pool’s similar plan to fast track the grid interconnect process for new power plants. (Kansas Reflector)

COAL

• The Trump administration is weakening pollution standards for coal plants as utilities across the country cancel plans to retire units as demand from artificial intelligence rises. (E&E News)

OIL & GAS

• Ohio has emerged as the primary repository to handle hydraulic fracturing waste from throughout the region based on its relatively fast approval of injection wells, critics say. (Cleveland.com)

• North Dakota natural gas production reached a record high in September as oil production continued to exceed forecasts. (Prairie Public Radio)

PIPELINES

• The Army Corps of Engineers floats a new option for a segment of Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac that involves a narrower borehole instead of a 21-foot-wide concrete tunnel beneath the lakebed. (Bridge)

NUCLEAR

• An eastern Kansas city wants to be considered for new nuclear energy development as TerraPower, Evergy, and state officials explore options for an advanced reactor location. (Kansas City Star)

DATA CENTERS

• Environmental groups file a petition to intervene in a contested rate case considering DTE Energy’s proposed contracts to supply power to a large new data center in southeastern Michigan. (Michigan Advance)

• Residents push back against plans for a 4 MW data center in an Indianapolis community. (Mirror Indy)

HYDROELECTRIC

• Water quality problems at six of Consumers Energy’s 13 hydroelectric plants in Michigan may complicate the utility’s plan to sell the facilities to a private equity company. (Detroit News)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Feel the cold? Offshore wind alleviates grid woes in winter, study says. — Clare Fieseler

• New England kicks off $450M plan to supercharge heat pump adoption — Sarah Shemkus

• Trump wants new nuclear power. So far, it’s all restarts. — Kathryn Krawczyk