Illinois clean energy law includes key transition funding for fossil fuel workers

ILLINOIS: The state’s sweeping clean energy reforms signed into law last week include scaled-back funding for communities and workers who have depended on the coal industry. (Energy News Network)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announces a new pilot program that she says would be the first in the country to test an electrified road that wirelessly charges electric vehicles. (Detroit Free Press)

CLEAN ENERGY: Ohio Democrats propose legislation that would require 100% clean energy generation by 2050, direct projects to communities most harmed by fossil fuels, and make it easier to site wind and solar projects. (WKSU)

PIPELINES: A federal judge formally acknowledges that mediation discussions between Michigan officials and Enbridge didn’t resolve a dispute over whether the state can shut down the pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. (Michigan Advance)

CLIMATE:
• U.S. Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota is helping to usher in climate legislation that includes an 80% clean electricity target in 10 years: ​“This is a moment where if we don’t seize it, the results are catastrophic.” (Star Tribune)
• An Iowa Catholic business leader and self-described ​“tree-hugging Republican” says faith can be a strong motivator for businesses to take climate action even if they don’t support a national climate agenda. (National Catholic Reporter)

SOLAR: An Indiana county approves a moratorium on new solar projects bigger than 50 MW for the next six months or until new siting regulations are adopted. (Herald Bulletin)

TRANSPORTATION: A Twin Cities transit program that offers discounted fares for low-income residents remains largely untapped by the more than 600,000 residents who are eligible to participate. (Minnesota Reformer)

CARBON CAPTURE: Developers are holding informational meetings for a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline through western Iowa that has already received commitments from 31 ethanol plants, including 12 in Iowa. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

CLEANTECH: A Minnesota company wins a statewide entrepreneurship competition for its innovations in heat pump technology. (Centered)

WIND: A Duke Energy subsidiary announces plans to build a 207 MW wind project in Iowa, with most of the output supplying telecommunications giant Verizon. (Renewables Now)

GRID: Wisconsin regulators award more than $900,000 in grants to test the feasibility of critical infrastructure microgrids and other grid resilience projects. (Daily Energy Insider)

COMMENTARY:
• A Michigan public health expert and former gubernatorial candidate says attempting to install rooftop solar on his new home underscored the power dynamics of major utilities attempting to control self-generation. (Metro Times)
• Exelon’s former position that it didn’t need state subsidies to operate its Illinois nuclear fleet, which is now being propped up by ratepayer support, indicates the ​“whiplash in U.S. utilities over the past decade or so,” a financial columnist writes. (Bloomberg)