Chicago program diversifies the solar industry

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.

SOLAR

• A Chicago solar workforce development program that’s training residents from lower-income and African American communities is on track to reach 700 graduates by the end of the year. (Canary Media)

DATA CENTERS

• Ohio has 21 local ballot measures involving data centers in next month’s election, the most of any state, as opponents gather signatures for a statewide ballot measure next year. (Inside Climate News)

• An Indiana ratepayer advocacy group says AES hasn’t fully disclosed how Google would fully pay for the costs of a new data center, and questions claims that ratepayers would save more than $770 million over 15 years. (WTHR)

GRID

• A growing coalition of Michigan lawmakers, environmental groups, and ratepayer advocates are supporting state legislation to allow for more transmission lines along highways as landowner opposition builds against planned developments. (MLive)

• Federal regulators reject most of PJM’s plan for connecting data centers and other large loads to the grid if they lack matching new capacity but agree to be curtailed during grid emergencies, saying it’s discriminatory and an intrusion on state jurisdiction. (Utility Dive)

• PJM this week called on power plant owners and utilities to suspend maintenance and keep generators online to stabilize the power grid as demand pushes capacity limits. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

COAL

• U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan (D) of Indiana introduces legislation to prohibit the Department of Energy from using emergency orders to delay retiring power plants, and to require cost estimates and alternatives to keeping plants open. (Indianapolis Star)

PIPELINES

• Wisconsin environmental regulators issue seven alleged state law violations to Enbridge for its Line 5 reroute project, including violations involving water quality, wetlands, and air quality. (Wisconsin Public Radio)

• Enbridge says a fire that destroyed a drill rig and support equipment at a site in northern Wisconsin was caused by vandalism. (Wisconsin Watch)

STORAGE

• Electric infrastructure manufacturer Richardson Electronics plans to build a 5-MWh battery storage project near its Illinois headquarters that ComEd says will be the largest commercial storage project on its grid. (Daily Herald)

WIND

• A South Dakota board votes to authorize up to $6.1 million in tax rebates for a $750 million, 333 MW wind project that’s under construction and poised to be the state’s largest. (South Dakota Searchlight)

UTILITIES

• Minnesota regulators open an investigation into the affordability of electric and gas utilities, how the state compares, and what can be done to lower bills. (MPR News)

• Michigan Senate lawmakers look to further expand the bill credits customers receive when they experience prolonged power outages in an attempt to incentivize utilities to restore power faster. (Axios)

OIL & GAS

• A North Dakota tax break on stripper oil well production allows more wells to qualify than in other major oil-producing states, costing the state tens of millions of dollars annually in tax revenue than would be generated with a more typical threshold. (North Dakota Monitor)

BIOFUELS

• Iowa farmers and biofuel producers back the U.S. EPA’s proposal to ensure renewable fuel blending standards are maintained even after small refineries claim exemptions. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)