GOP lawmaker in wind-rich Iowa could risk losing seat

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.

POLITICS

• Iowa GOP Congress member Mariannette Miller-Meeks could risk losing reelection after a crucial vote in favor of phasing out clean energy tax credits. (Politico)

BATTERIES

• U.S. battery startup Natron Energy, which was pursuing sodium-ion batteries, abruptly closes plants in Michigan and California and shuts down operations after failing to raise enough capital. (MLive)

GRID

• Canceling the Grain Belt Express transmission project, on top of ending clean energy tax credits in the latest federal budget law, will raise electricity costs in Missouri for those already struggling with rising bills, advocates say. (Grist)

COAL

• Companies line up for federal coal mining leases in North Dakota under the Trump administration’s expedited leasing process, which is facing objections from environmental groups. (North Dakota Monitor)

SOLAR

• Advocates behind a Michigan ballot initiative to restrict utility political contributions say the plan would remove barriers to local clean energy development like community solar. (WMUK)

• Dayton, Ohio, was set to use $9.1 million in federal Solar for All funding for 900 home solar installations and a project at a contaminated Superfund site before the Trump administration canceled the program. (WYSO)

UTILITIES

• Black Hills Energy and NorthWestern Energy, two large utilities serving South Dakota that plan to merge over the coming years, would seek to grow by serving data centers and other large loads. (South Dakota News Watch)

• A group of residents in Ann Arbor, Michigan, begin drafting ballot language for a local petition to create a public utility board and ultimately remove DTE as the city’s electric provider. (Michigan Advance)

DATA CENTERS

• Consumers Energy’s proposal to create special electric rates for data centers fails to consider the impacts to the state’s clean energy transition, environmental groups tell Michigan regulators. (Michigan Advance)

• A North Dakota city advances plans for a $3 billion data center despite concerns over environmental impacts and power consumption. (North Dakota Monitor)

• Michigan’s two large investor-owned utilities forecast up to 16 GW of new power demand from data centers that, while large, is unlikely to all come to fruition, experts say. (Crain’s Detroit)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• An automotive analyst expects record electric vehicle sales in the third quarter this year as automakers and dealers offer deals to customers ahead of expiring federal tax credits. (Michigan Public)

• A $100 million electric vehicle rebate program will restart in Indiana, though advocates raise concerns that the Trump administration has stripped out language that would bring benefits to disadvantaged communities. (Indianapolis Star)

OIL & GAS

• Michigan gasoline prices hit a new high for the year ahead of the Labor Day holiday following an outage at a northwestern Indiana refinery. (Detroit Free Press)

COMMENTARY

• A private equity firm’s planned acquisition of Minnesota Power’s parent company does not guarantee new capital for the utility’s clean energy plans and could saddle ratepayers with higher borrowing costs, a private equity watchdog group says. (Utility Dive)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• ‘It’s madness’: Trump-voting fishermen oppose Revolution Wind halt — Clare Fieseler

• Halting Revolution Wind could be a disaster for New England’s grid — Jeff St. John

• San Francisco launched a hydrogen ferry. Now NYC may get one too. — Maria Gallucci

• The incoherence of Trump’s​‘energy emergency’ — Kathryn Krawczyk

• This campaign will help you go electric before federal tax credits end — Alison F. Takemura

• Texas created a $7.2B fund for gas plants. Hardly any are being built. — Paul Cobler