Clean energy, climate bills on tap in Minnesota

CLEAN ENERGY: Minnesota’s newly appointed House majority leader says passing a 100% clean energy by 2040 bill will be ​“the top priority” as Democrats take full control of the state legislature next year. (Sahan Journal)

ALSO: Michigan environmental advocates hope the new Democratic majority in the legislature takes action on a series of long-stalled bills involving renewable energy and climate change. (Planet Detroit)

PIPELINES:
• A new Pipeline Safety Trust report concludes that Michigan is among the worst states for public transparency involving intrastate pipelines. (Michigan Advance)
• Weather-related issues that caused the Keystone pipeline operator to cut volumes by about 7% have been resolved. (Reuters)
• A carbon pipeline developer works with Iowa county officials on drainage issues and road crossings in advance of permit considerations by state regulators. (Globe Gazette)

COAL: The U.S. EPA fines Kansas City utility Evergy $120,000 after groundwater monitoring found arsenic and other chemicals at a shuttered coal plant’s coal ash storage site. (Kansas City Star)

UTILITIES: Critics say an Ohio gas utility’s plan to raise fixed costs by up to $20 a month is ​“obscene” and would hit ratepayers twice on top of skyrocketing fuel costs. (Ohio Capital Journal)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A St. Louis auto dealer says Missouri will need sweeping electric vehicle infrastructure investments to support greater consumer adoption. (St. Louis Magazine)
• General Motors will partner with a southern California utility on a vehicle-to-grid bidirectional charging program for electric vehicles to act as a local energy source. (Utility Dive)

GRID: For the fifth-straight year, ComEd earns high marks compared to peer utilities for grid reliability and avoiding long-term outages. (Daily Energy Insider)

SOLAR: A developer plans to build a four-story apartment building in Detroit at the site of a shuttered solar installation that has been disconnected since a fire in February 2020. (Detroit Free Press)

WIND: County officials narrowly approve plans for a 60-turbine wind project in central Illinois. (Pantagraph)

CLIMATE: Student advocates at a public forum say Indiana University officials aren’t doing enough to reduce the school’s emissions. (Indiana Daily Student)