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Hope for Illinois’ clean energy progress under Trump

By Andy Balaskovitz

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CLEAN ENERGY: Illinois officials and advocates are confident they can continue state-level clean energy and climate progress under the Trump administration, though concerns exist about federal incentives and fossil fuel regulations. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: The newly formed Minnesota Tribal Advocacy Council on Energy aims to support tribal sovereignty over energy to help reduce utility bills and ensure a just transition to clean energy. (MPR News)

SOLAR:

  • A Canadian company that had been considering Minnesota for a $200 million solar cell manufacturing plant pauses its plans due to uncertainty about the fate of the Inflation Reduction Act under the Trump administration. (Star Tribune)
  • A coal producer and renewable energy company partner to potentially build 5.5 gigawatts of solar and battery storage on reclaimed mine land in Illinois and Indiana. (Indiana Public Radio)
  • Two major Wisconsin solar projects came online in 2024 and two more are expected this year as regulators consider a wave of new projects. (Wisconsin Public Radio)

OIL & GAS: At least one oil and gas driller asks Ohio regulators to open roughly 4,700 additional acres of state wildlife areas to hydraulic fracturing. (Cleveland.com)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

  • How quickly the electric vehicle transition happens has high stakes for Michigan’s economy, which has been historically reliant on the auto industry. (E&E News)
  • Illinois ranks third in the country for deploying electric school buses, with more than 200 on the road and hundreds more committed. (Chicago Tribune)
  • A new Wisconsin tax charges 3 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity used to charge electric vehicles at non-residential charging stations. (WISN)
  • Ameren Illinois customers with electric vehicles can receive bill credits by charging overnight to help ease grid demand during peak periods. (Southern Illinoisan)

COAL: Michigan’s Upper Peninsula could provide a blueprint for the rest of the state after transitioning off coal in 2019 and working to maintain grid reliability with new generation sources. (MLive, subscription)

CLEAN TECH: Researchers are working with residents of a remote island in Lake Michigan to explore converting wave energy to electricity, which could supply clean energy while improving reliability. (Chicago Tribune)

CARBON CAPTURE: A South Dakota regulator whose relatives own land along a proposed carbon pipeline route will not recuse herself from considering a developer’s second permit application despite doing so the first time. (South Dakota Searchlight)

RENEWABLES: Chicago begins a five-year power purchase agreement that will power more than 400 city-owned buildings with renewable energy. (Chicago Tribune)

GRID: Michigan’s top energy regulator raises concerns that hyperscale data centers could create stranded costs if development plans don’t materialize and ratepayers are stuck paying for new generation. (Crain’s Grand Rapids, subscription)

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