Grain Belt Express will still move forward, developer says

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.

GRID

• After the Trump administration announced it would cancel a $4.9 billion federal loan guarantee for the massive Grain Belt Express transmission project, developer Invenergy indicates the plan would move forward with private financing. (Associated Press)

NUCLEAR

• The Nuclear Regulator Commission issues key approvals for the restart of western Michigan’s Palisades nuclear power plant that will allow the owner to start loading fuel next month. (Michigan Public)

UTILITIES

• Ohio regulators are nearing a decision on penalties FirstEnergy may receive for improperly spent ratepayer funds and other issues related to the House Bill 6 power plant bailout scandal. (Cleveland.com)

• Minnesota regulators criticize an electric cooperative that threatened to turn off power to the Upper Sioux Community’s casino if the tribe turns on a solar array, and suggest they could take away the utility’s right to serve the tribe. (Star Tribune)

• A Minnesota judge urges state regulators to reject a private equity firm’s takeover of utility Allete after raising concerns about comments supporting the deal coming largely from employees or others with financial ties to the company. (Energy and Policy Institute)

SOLAR

• A Wisconsin school district approves $5.2 million in rooftop and ground-mounted solar projects at multiple schools that officials expect will save $11.6 million in avoided electricity costs. (Racine County Eye)

• Mastercard’s largest U.S. data center, located outside St. Louis, Missouri, will soon receive power from an onsite 40-acre solar project. (KCUR)

• DTE Energy sues an eastern Michigan county and its health department over zoning regulations the utility says restricts large-scale solar projects. (PV Magazine)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Michigan utility Consumers Energy could be fined $75,000 as part of a negotiated settlement with state regulators over excess air pollution from a large gas plant. (MLive)

COAL

• Environmental groups file a petition for review with the U.S. Court of Appeals to review the Department of Energy’s order to keep open a Michigan coal plant past its retirement date based on claims of an energy emergency. (Detroit News)

GRID

• Hot weather in Kansas this week prompts Evergy to ask residential and business customers participating in demand response programs to curb their power use. (Kansas Reflector)

EFFICIENCY

• Michigan’s effort to upgrade building energy codes with more stringent efficiency requirements is on hold as homebuilders challenge the codes in court. (Bridge)

POLITICS

• A longtime lobbyist and associate of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan gets two years in prison for his role in a bribery scheme involving favorable legislation for ComEd in exchange for jobs and contracts for allies. (Capitol News Illinois)

CLIMATE

• Climate change will disrupt industries from outdoor recreation to transportation and increase risks to public health, showing that climate change is a pocketbook issue for the public, according to a new report from the Environmental Law and Policy Center. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• Trump admin cancels $4.9B loan for biggest transmission line in US — Jeff St. John

• Chart: Public EV chargers are growing steadily in the US — Dan McCarthy

• Massachusetts could give heat pump owners a huge discount on electricity — Sarah Shemkus

• Powin fueled the US grid storage boom. Then the company crashed. — Julian Spector

• Maine moves to fast-track clean energy before federal tax credits expire — Sarah Shemkus