MidAmerican’s $3.9B plan would meet all power needs with renewables

RENEWABLES:
• MidAmerican Energy announces a $3.9 billion proposal to build more than 2,000 MW of wind and 50 MW of solar capacity — enough to help it match all of its Iowa customers’ annual needs with renewable generation. (Des Moines Register)
• Illinois legislation seeks to improve diversity on renewable energy projects by requiring developers to file annual reports on the use of minority-owned suppliers. (Capitol News Illinois)

CLIMATE:
• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer releases a draft statewide climate plan that calls for closing all coal plants by 2035, reaching 50% renewables by 2030 and installing charging stations to support 2 million electric vehicles. (Detroit News)
• Sixteen cities across Minnesota have now declared a climate emergency in an effort to spur state lawmakers to take action. (Star Tribune)
• Minnesota Democrats propose using $1 billion from a projected $7.7 billion budget surplus on climate and clean energy initiatives. (Duluth News Tribune)

UTILITIES:
• Wisconsin environmental groups file a lawsuit over recently approved rates for Madison Gas and Electric that include fixed charges they say are illegal and discriminatory. (Wisconsin State Journal)
• The parent company of Indiana utility NIPSCO reports that it has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 63% as it shifts from coal power. (Times of Northwest Indiana)
• DTE Energy is seeking regulatory approval for a $388 million rate increase to pay for grid resilience and modernization. (Crain’s Detroit Business)
• University of Michigan students and other activists call on the city of Ann Arbor to create a public utility and no longer remain a customer of DTE Energy. (MLive)

SOLAR:
• Big box stores in the U.S. could meet half of their electricity needs with rooftop solar installations, according to a new report from an environmental nonprofit. (Washington Post)
• Iowa county officials delay voting on a proposed 100 MW solar project to further consider setback distances and panel height. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

PIPELINES:
• Portions of testimony from two tribal leaders in Michigan won’t be considered in a Line 5 tunnel permitting case after a recent ruling from an administrative law judge. (MLive)
• Congressional lawmakers discuss a proposal by U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois that would give federal regulators the power to impose basic standards for natural gas pipeline reliability and security. (Ohio Capital Journal)

WIND: A developer plans to file permit applications later this year for a 300 MW wind project in central Illinois. (Journal-Republican)

TRANSMISSION: Michigan is the latest state to opt out of a federal rule involving competitively bid transmission projects, which critics say has been driven by strong lobbying efforts by utilities. (E&E News)

CLEAN TECH: General Motors will work with another company to find new markets for its hydrogen fuel cell systems, including mobile electricity generation and electric vehicle charging stations. (Associated Press)

POWER PLANTS: Local officials in northeastern Ohio oppose a natural gas plant owner’s proposal to dump wastewater into a nearby creek instead of sending it to a wastewater treatment plant. (WYTV)

BIOFUELS: A Nebraska agency is overseeing the environmental cleanup and containment of hazardous waste from an ethanol plant. (KETV)