Midwest hydrogen hubs win billions in federal funding

HYDROGEN: The Biden administration announces $7 billion in federal funding for seven regional hubs to accelerate production of clean hydrogen, including three in the Midwest. (Canary Media)

ALSO:

• The Heartland Hydrogen Hub, including utilities, universities, and other partners in Minnesota and the Dakotas, will receive up to $925 million to convert renewable and nuclear power into hydrogen fuel. (Star Tribune)
• The Midwest Hydrogen Hub, a coalition covering Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, will get up to $1 billion to produce hydrogen from natural gas while capturing the carbon emissions. (Inside Indiana Business)
• The Appalachian Hydrogen Hub, which includes projects in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, will receive up to $925 million for a hub centered around the Ohio River Valley. (Cleveland.com)
• Steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs is building a hydrogen pipeline to supply an East Chicago blast furnace as it looks to lower emissions. (The Times)

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GRID:

• After years of debate, Missouri regulators approve the Grain Belt Express high-voltage power line, which is expected to deliver wind power from Kansas to customers in Missouri and Illinois. (Associated Press)
• Ameren hosts open houses as the utility seeks public input on plans to upgrade 380 miles of transmission lines in Central Illinois. (Pantagraph)

UTILITIES:

• Michigan environmental advocates worry that political spending by DTE Energy could water down pending clean energy legislation. (Planet Detroit)
• The Sierra Club says Kansas and Missouri utilities have regressed on clean energy as an updated report card from the group on utility climate pledges lowers grades for both Evergy and Ameren Missouri. (WIBW)

PERMITTING: Proposed legislation in Michigan aims to speed permitting of wind and solar projects by giving the state more control over approvals. (WJRT)

PIPELINES:

• A new politically diverse coalition launches in South Dakota to lobby for restrictions on the use of eminent domain. (South Dakota Searchlight)
• Navigator CO2 Ventures has asked Illinois regulators to withdraw its application for a controversial carbon-capture pipeline. (Journal Courier)
• Iowa landowners say they were confused by the process for testifying on eminent domain requests by a CO2 pipeline company. (Capital Dispatch)

OIL & GAS:

• North Dakota officials say natural gas production in the state hit a new all-time high in August. (Minot Daily News)
• The source of oil contaminating a Kansas family’s water well remains a mystery, with state officials continuing to investigate. (KWCH)

SOLAR:

• A statement by more than 200 Iowa science educators says the state needs to embrace solar energy to combat climate change. (Globe Gazette)
• Ohio solar customers and a professor say the systems can save homeowners money even without any state tax incentives. (WKRC)
• Concerns about solar panel waste often lack context, a Michigan State professor says, as the expected waste stream is tiny compared to what’s projected from plastics, electronics, and coal plants. (Inside Climate News)
• Monday is the deadline for homeowners in Ohio’s Miami Valley region to sign up for a planned solar group-buying cooperative. (Dayton Daily News)

BUILDINGS: A geothermal heating and cooling system has helped Indiana’s Ball State University reduce its carbon emissions nearly in half. (Lebanon Reporter)

COMMENTARY:

• The Inflation Reduction Act is an unprecedented opportunity for Michigan to move toward cleaner, more affordable energy, a group of clean energy policy advocates writes. (Energy News Network)
• A journalist writes about his experience relying on an electric vehicle to cover rural Minnesota, where he says chargers are too few and far apart and also not well maintained. (Star Tribune)