Clean energy journalism for a cooler tomorrow

Midwest Energy News — a daily newsletter

Michigan Democrats lose trifecta; Minnesota’s uncertain

By Andy Balaskovitz

  • Link copied to clipboard

ELECTION: Michigan Democrats’ state government trifecta, which fueled major clean energy policy advances, is upended as Republicans take control of the state House, while Minnesota Democrats’ trifecta remained uncertain as of Wednesday morning. (Detroit News, Star Tribune)

ALSO:

  • South Dakota voters overturn a recent state law that critics say created favorable regulations for carbon pipeline development, though a developer vows to move forward with its project. (Sioux Falls Live) 
  • In Ohio, Republicans swept three state Supreme Court races to expand their majority from a 4-3 margin to 6-1. The court will decide multiple upcoming cases related to energy siting, utility accountability and other issues. (Ohio Capital Journal; Energy News Network)
  • Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller Meeks of Iowa, who chairs the Conservative Climate Caucus, declares victory over her Democratic opponent, but the race was too close to call. (Des Moines Register)
  • Republican North Dakota Public Service Commission chair Randel Christmann held off a challenge from Tracey Wilkie, a Democrat and member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa who opposes the controversial Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline. (North Dakota Monitor)
  • South Dakota Republican PUC chair Kristie Fiegen, a former state legislator, handily won reelection against two relatively unknown challengers. (South Dakota Searchlight)
  • Voters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, approve creating a ​“sustainable energy utility” to boost access to rooftop solar and battery storage but which stops short of creating a municipal utility. (WEMU)
  • Minnesota voters overwhelmingly support a proposal to renew state lottery funding for environmental and natural resources projects. (Star Tribune)

STORAGE: Michigan State University’s research foundation recently invested in a company that’s pursuing the commercial deployment of long-duration, grid-scale energy storage using non-lithium batteries. (Utility Dive)

UTILITIES: One of federal prosecutors’ star witnesses in the corruption trial of former Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan testifies that ComEd funneled more than $600,000 to Madigans’ allies over several years in exchange for legislation supporting the utility. (Sun-Times)

CLEAN ENERGY: Minnesota in 2023 had more than 62,000 clean energy jobs, the highest total ever recorded as the industry grows much faster than the overall economy. (Finance & Commerce)

COAL: Unless additional resources are found, a Wisconsin coal plant along Lake Michigan may need to stay open for another year to maintain grid reliability, MISO says. (RTO Insider, subscription)

CORRECTION: MidAmerican Energy’s 20-year resource plan calls for 3,495 MW of gas generation and 3,050 MW of solar. An item in Monday’s newsletter had incorrect numbers.

read next