Climate change could cost Ohio communities billions annually

CLIMATE: Ohio municipalities could collectively spend $5.9 billion more each year by 2050 on stronger infrastructure to adapt to climate change, according to a new Ohio Environmental Council report. (Toledo Blade)

SOLAR:
• Rising commodity and materials costs cause a $32 million price increase for a planned southern Wisconsin solar project. (Wisconsin State Journal)
• A developer starts construction on 10 community solar projects in Illinois totaling more than 17 MW of capacity. (Solar Power World)
• An eastern Indiana city is designated as a SolSmart community for its efforts to encourage solar energy development. (Palladium-Item)
• A rooftop solar installation on a Milwaukee-area city hall meets more than 50% of the facility’s electricity needs. (PV Magazine)

PIPELINES:
• The operator of a southern Nebraska pipeline seeks federal permission to switch from hauling natural gas to carbon dioxide. (North Platte Telegraph)
• The Keystone pipeline could return to full capacity next week after repairs to a South Dakota substation that was damaged by vandalism. (S&P Global)
• As developers seek routes to transport carbon, one South Dakota county abandons its moratorium on new pipelines and another enacts a one-year pause. (KELO)
• An economic impact study finds that recent Line 3 construction in northern Minnesota contributed billions of dollars in economic benefits, though the research did not account for social and environmental costs. (Inforum)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• The U.S. Postal Service will increase the number of electric vehicles in its next purchase to replace aging delivery trucks. (Associated Press)
• Ford says it has secured enough battery supplies to manufacture 600,000 electric vehicles per year by 2023. (Associated Press)

GRID:
• A southern Indiana electric cooperative says ​“little steps” taken by residential and commercial customers can help reduce strain on the power grid during high demand periods. (WHAS)
• Rolling blackouts on Michigan’s power grid this summer are ​“incredibly unlikely to happen,” a Consumers Energy official says. (MLive)

EMISSIONS:
• Agricultural property owners could see new revenue from participating in carbon credit programs that help large companies offset their emissions elsewhere. (Farm and Dairy)
• The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota joins the Better Climate Challenge, pledging to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 50% and energy usage 20% within 10 years. (Rochester Post Bulletin)

UTILITIES: Kansas utility Evergy must pay $500,000 for allegedly violating consumer protection laws by sponsoring home electrical warranties that provided no benefits to customers. (Kansas Reflector)

OVERSIGHT: The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission will soon interview candidates for a vacancy on the five-member board. (Inside Indiana Business)

BIOFUELS: U.S. Geological Survey scientists join research efforts involving the cleanup at a former Nebraska ethanol plant that caused widespread contamination. (Lincoln Journal Star) 

COMMENTARY: Local governments, nonprofits and environmental advocates join to create a ​“new development strategy” for the Ohio River Valley that’s less dependent on fossil fuels and prioritizes modern infrastructure and industries. (Route Fifty)