Justice40 initiative to boost Minnesota climate efforts

CLIMATE: Duluth, Minneapolis and Hennepin County will each receive federal support for local climate and clean energy projects under President Biden’s Justice40 initiative. (Star Tribune)

NUCLEAR:
• ComEd customers will start receiving a roughly $20-per-month carbon mitigation bill credit in June as a windfall dividend for bailing out three struggling nuclear plants last year. (Chicago Tribune)
• Union officials and the owner of a southwestern Michigan nuclear plant say it’s unlikely the facility will remain open after its scheduled May 31 closure date despite a new federal nuclear subsidy program. (E&E News)
• Purdue University and Duke Energy will explore the potential to power campus operations with small modular nuclear reactors while reducing its carbon footprint. (Associated Press)

GRID: Grid operator MISO proposes improvements to the generation retirement process as stakeholders call for more transparency that could help avoid future capacity shortfalls. (S&P Global)

COAL: The upcoming closure of a large southwestern Ohio coal plant will result in 87 job losses. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

UTILITIES: Consumers Energy proposes a $272 million rate increase to fund clean energy investments and help modernize its grid as outages become more likely during extreme weather events. (WKAR)

PIPELINES: The outcome of a pending case involving ​“terrorism enhancement” charges against a Dakota Access pipeline protester could reverberate across U.S. protest movements. (ABC News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Racine, Wisconsin’s public transportation agency integrates nine electric buses into its fleet, making it the largest electric bus fleet in the state. (Journal Times)
• Ford is cutting 580 salaried employees and agency workers as it pivots from producing internal combustion vehicles to electric models. (CNBC)

OIL & GAS:
• Oil producers and industry advocates want North Dakota lawmakers to abolish price-based triggers when taxing crude oil production to provide the industry with financial stability. (Associated Press)
• Shale producer Continental Resources raises its oil and natural gas production forecasts as it benefits from high crude oil prices. (Reuters)

SOLAR:
• Central Missouri city officials designate a planned 100 MW solar project as a nuisance while setting other restrictions on future projects. (PV Magazine)
• Three solar arrays will offset the power usage at a central Iowa landfill. (Times-Republican)
• A rooftop solar installation at the Chicago Urban League is now the largest solar installation in the city. (WLS)

COMMENTARY:
• A columnist sees long-term opportunity for Minnesota’s solar industry as utilities and developers plan to scale up over the next decade. (Star Tribune)
• Some recently built homes in Kalamazoo, Michigan, were part of a Consumers Energy pilot program focusing on electrification and moving away from gas-powered appliances, clean energy advocates report. (Natural Resources Defense Council)