Democrats flip Michigan legislature blue

ELECTIONS: Michigan Democrats flip the state House and Senate in their favor and will control the executive branch and Legislature for the first time in 40 years. (Bridge Michigan)

ALSO:
• Minnesota Democrats were also poised for a trifecta, holding the state House and governor’s office and proclaiming victory in flipping the state Senate — though not all races had been called. (MPR News)
• Wins by incumbent governors in Michigan and Wisconsin helps protect climate and clean energy targets in those states. (S&P Global)

MORE RESULTS:
• Voters in a northern Ohio county uphold a 10-year ban on utility-scale wind projects, blocking development of a planned 300 MW project. (Telegraph Forum)
• In a central Michigan county, voters reject four separate wind energy ordinances and recall seven township officials for their support of wind projects. (Greenville Daily News, subscription)
• Multiple Ohio counties will join electricity aggregation programs aimed at lowering rates through collective negotiations. (Dayton Daily News)

EMISSIONS: Indiana-based NiSource, one of the nation’s largest regulated utilities, sets a 2040 net zero emissions goal as it plans a ​“long runway” of clean energy investments. (Times of Northwest Indiana)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: South Dakota regulators will allow regulated utilities to design their own electric vehicle charging programs rather than establish statewide standards on pricing and rebates. (KELO)

UTILITIES:
• The city of Milwaukee is the latest to file formal opposition to We Energies’ rate increase request, saying it would burden low-income residents and create budget challenges in the city. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Local economic development officials say AES Indiana’s plan to convert a coal plant to natural gas will preserve some local jobs, though clean energy groups say the utility should pursue more renewable energy. (Indiana Public Media)

WIND: A developer begins pursuing landowner leases for a proposed utility-scale wind project in central Nebraska. (Clipper-Herald)

STORAGE: Despite nearly $400 billion in clean energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act, shortages of materials used to make batteries could stall construction for years, according to analysts. (Utility Dive)

SOLAR: A Minnesota organization that arranges outdoor recreation opportunities for veterans invests in solar power to power its operations. (West Central Tribune)

COMMENTARY: Reforming electricity pricing systems is now an imperative ahead of likely clean energy investments under the Inflation Reduction Act, a former state and federal regulator writes. (Utility Dive)