Coal costs shouldn’t burden Wisconsin ratepayers, advocates say

COAL: Wisconsin consumer advocates say utilities should not continue to profit from shuttered coal plants, and call on state regulators to use financing tools such as securitization to limit ratepayer impacts. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: Wisconsin regulators will hold a virtual forum next week on an amended pollution discharge permit for a We Energies coal plant where a new wastewater treatment system would be installed. (Racine County Eye)

OIL & GAS: An Ohio panel will decide this week whether to open thousands of acres of state parks and other state lands for oil and gas exploration where mineral rights could go to the highest bidder. (Cleveland.com)

NUCLEAR: Critics of a bill to lift Illinois’ 35-year ban on new nuclear plant construction to support small modular reactors say the plan is based on speculative, expensive technology. (WBEZ)

CLIMATE: The latest National Climate Assessment is the first to heavily emphasize the disproportionate effects of climate change on low-income families and communities of color. (Inside Climate News)

SOLAR: Amazon announces plans to build a 200 MW solar project in Indiana as well as an 85 MW project in Michigan. (Inside Indiana Business; MLive)

BIOFUELS: Opposition to carbon capture pipelines threatens to stall U.S. production of sustainable aviation fuels, industry players say. (Reuters)

RENEWABLES: Local officials in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where renewable energy development has led to local disputes, grapple with a new state law that moves permitting decisions to state regulators. (Daily Press)

PIPELINES: Residents in two Illinois counties raise public safety concerns with plans for a 300-mile carbon pipeline between food processing plants. (WQAD)

BATTERIES: Honda commits $15 million to a partnership with Ohio State University that will build a new center to advance battery cell research and development. (Columbus Dispatch)

EFFICIENCY: The U.S. Green Buildings Council designates Dayton, Ohio, as the only city in the state, and fourth in the world, with LEED Platinum status. (Ideastream)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Automaker Stellantis offers voluntary buyouts to thousands of non-union workers in part because of the company’s transition to electric vehicles. (Detroit News)

COMMENTARY:

• The UAW’s contract negotiations will deliver major environmental benefits as Stellantis invests $4.7 billion to upgrade a shuttered Illinois assembly plant to build electric vehicles, advocates say. (Natural Resources Defense Council)
• A columnist says an Illinois bill to lift the state’s moratorium on new nuclear plant construction is a necessary step that prepares the state for when the technology is more viable. (Shaw Media)