Kansas City’s home efficiency clash

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.

EFFICIENCY

• The mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, allows a narrowly passed ordinance to take effect, rolling back the city’s building energy codes to loosen efficiency requirements that critics said have increased housing costs when supply is needed. (The Beacon)

COAL

• An Ohio bill that promotes ​“reliable energy sources” and amounts to a ban on renewable energy could also limit coal power based on the fuel’s low capacity factor. (Inside Climate News)

• The Trump administration orders a western Michigan coal plant to stay open for a fourth time past its previous retirement date last year. (Detroit Free Press)

• Nippon Steel plans to reline a blast furnace at a Gary, Indiana, steel plant, indicating the facility will continue to rely on coal for operations. (CBS Chicago)

DATA CENTERS

• Environmental groups rally behind an Illinois bill that they say would lead the nation in incentivizing data centers to add renewables and storage to meet their capacity needs. (Inside Climate News)

• Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker calls for a two-year pause on data center tax breaks as a stopgap measure to slow surging power demand and prices. (E&E News)

STORAGE

• North Dakota regulators approve the state’s first two large grid battery projects that will connect to wind energy, though one official says future projects should address fire risks. (North Dakota Monitor)

GRID

• Two Michigan Senate Democrats back legislation to create a framework for a virtual power plant program that compensates the owners of batteries, solar, and other systems that help balance the grid. (Michigan Advance)

• Michigan regulators approve a $242.4 million electric rate increase for DTE Energy that executives say will support additional grid reliability investments. (Planet Detroit)

• DTE Energy’s CEO says the potential new revenue from hyperscale data centers could be an opportunity to make much-needed grid investments. (Crain’s Detroit)

OIL & GAS

• An insurance company’s lawsuit seeks to make a fracking waste injection company pay for cleanup costs associated with a 2021 Ohio brine spill that contaminated land and waterways and killed hundreds of fish, salamanders, and frogs. (Athens Independent)

• A liquefied gas pipeline that exploded in southeastern Iowa last weekend was caused by misalignment in one section, according to a federal investigation. (Southeast Iowa Union)

SOLAR

• Iowa House lawmakers advance legislation to allow for community solar projects, which would benefit homes and businesses that are unable to install solar on their property. (Solar Power World)

DATA CENTERS

• Ameren Missouri says its new large-load tariffs will prevent costs for serving large customers like data centers from shifting to all other ratepayers. (St. Louis Public Radio)

NUCLEAR

• Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker issues an executive order directing state agencies to evaluate sites for potential new nuclear plants. (Axios)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Chart: Grid battery installations soared to a new high in 2025 — Dan McCarthy

• I let Duke Energy control my thermostat. I don’t regret it. — Elizabeth Ouzts

• Zero Homes nabs $16.8M to go big on easier heat pump installation — Alison F. Takemura 

• What’s behind your sky-high power bill: A region-by-region breakdown — Naveena Sadasivam & Clayton Aldern

• How solar and batteries help keep lights on during Texas winter storms — Tam Hunt