Michigan seeks input on transmission routes

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.

GRID

• Transmission developer ITC pushes back on Michigan regulators’ proposed new rules for expanding public engagement around projects, arguing they could increase costs and extend timelines without corresponding benefits. (MLive)
• Central Ohio property owners are concerned that a proposed high-voltage transmission project would cut through their land and disrupt their lives and property, though developer Grid Growth Ventures says a route is not finalized. (WSYX)
• The Omaha Public Power District in Nebraska is running low on power capacity as it seeks to attract new large users to the area, a scenario that economic development leaders say threatens growth. (Flatwater Free Press)

CLEAN ENERGY

• A progressive candidate for Congress in Michigan has been running against data centers and large-school renewable energy and storage projects on rural land in response to voters’ concerns. (Grist)
• A Michigan grant program provides state funding to communities that allow wind and solar development and can be used for town hall repairs, recreation projects, and zoning software. (Ottawa News Network)

OIL & GAS

• Wisconsin governor candidate and U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R) supports expanding an oil refinery in Wisconsin to lower dependence on the Middle East, though experts say such a move would have little effect on gas prices. (Wisconsin Public Radio)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Michigan has now clawed back or walked away from $800 million in incentives for EV battery-related projects, illustrating how much the industry has scaled back under the Trump administration. (Crain’s Detroit)
• An Ohio Democratic Congress member proposes legislation to reestablish federal EV tax credits and double their previous amount to spur adoption and lower costs for consumers as gas prices spike. (Spectrum News)

STORAGE

• North Dakota regulators weigh concerns about fire risks at a proposed 200-MW grid battery storage project at the site of a solar farm, including whether a neighboring jurisdiction would be needed to contain an incident. (North Dakota Monitor)

DATA CENTERS

• An Illinois Democrat proposes state legislation that would require data center operators to report their hourly energy use data and buy clean energy credits to offset their use. (FOX 2)

COAL

• Clean energy advocates fear Indiana utility NIPSCO will walk back plans to retire a Michigan City coal plant in 2028 as the utility plans to address the facility in its next long-term plan. (Chicago Tribune)

SOLAR

• Minnesota regulators approve plans for a 180-MW solar project that an administrative law judge recommended officials reject over farmland concerns. (KAAL)

BIOFUELS

• Top Trump administration officials have been in Iowa the past week on official business and to campaign for Republican candidates in an effort to draw farmers’ political support, including with favorable policy for producing ethanol. (Inside Climate News)