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Indigenous consultants advocate for responsible solar development

By Andy Balaskovitz

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SOLAR: A Chicago-based consultancy works to ensure clean energy is responsibly developed on the Osage Nation and in other Indigenous communities scarred by fossil fuel extraction. (Energy News Network)

ALSO:

  • An Ohio farming couple sign a contract to provide vegetation management with sheep at a proposed 120 MW solar project in central Ohio, though the project is caught up in local opposition. (Farm and Dairy) 
  • County officials in Wichita, Kansas, will vote soon on zoning regulations to allow utility-scale solar projects after a yearlong moratorium. (KWCH)
  • A solar developer agrees to install a 5-foot natural wall around a 2 MW Illinois solar project to address neighbors’ concerns. (WIFR)

PIPELINES: Michigan environmental advocates are optimistic that, if elected president, Kamala Harris could be more proactive in shutting down Line 5 by rejecting key permits for the project. (Planet Detroit)

CLIMATE:

  • Nebraska receives a $300 million federal climate grant to reduce emissions from the agriculture sector and provide a model to other states. (Nebraska Examiner)
  • Soon after taking office, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz helped defend the state attorney general’s lawsuit against major oil companies for misleading the public about their contributions to climate change. (E&E News, subscription)
  • In addition to his climate policy wins, Walz also has clashed with environmental groups by approving the Line 3 pipeline replacement and defending permits for a copper-nickel mine. (Star Tribune)

OIL & GAS: 

  • U.S. oil and gas employment is down nearly 20% from pre-pandemic levels even though production continues to climb, as companies go through boom and bust cycles and become more efficient. (E&E News)
  • Using captured carbon dioxide to extract more oil and gas releases more carbon into the atmosphere than it puts underground by prolonging the use of fossil fuels, environmental groups say in a new report. (States Newsroom)

UTILITIES: Nebraska lawmakers consider exempting residential electricity sales from sales or use taxes, which supporters say would offer tax relief on what’s considered a necessity. (Nebraska Examiner)

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