Midwest utilities lead on data center preparation

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Midwest Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

GRID

• As grid experts warn against rushing to build for more data center demand than is needed, AEP utilities in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan have proposed new rules and rates to protect ratepayers amid a rush of data center investments. (Canary Media)

• North Dakota regulators will hold public hearings in the coming weeks on a utility’s plan for a $317 million, 162-mile transmission line to serve anticipated load growth in the Bakken region. (Bismarck Tribune)

• Governors will press Congress this year to pass new permitting reforms and ensure the federal government meets its obligations for federally funded projects, including through the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law. (Utility Dive)

COAL

• Indiana lawmakers advance a bill that would let utilities building power plant projects at former coal plants or mines bypass local zoning laws, which critics worry could restrict local control. (Indiana Public Media)

• Federal funding freezes have halted 11 coal mine reclamation projects in Iowa, causing excavation companies to scramble to find other work or lay off workers. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

CLEAN ENERGY

• More than 60% of Michigan voters support the state’s 100% clean energy by 2035 goal, and even more support policies to encourage clean energy manufacturing, according to a new poll from a progressive think tank. (Michigan Advance)

PIPELINES

• South Dakota lawmakers advance bills to clamp down on carbon pipeline construction by requiring additional steps before developers can use eminent domain and mandating environmental impact statements for carbon pipelines. (South Dakota Searchlight)

SOLAR

• A U.S. Army base in Kansas completes the latest construction phase of what is now a 16 MW solar project and one of the largest solar projects in the state. (Solar Power World)

• More than 80% of the 63 GW of utility-scale generation capacity expected to come online in 2025 will be from solar and storage, the Energy Information Administration forecasts. (Utility Dive)

• The Trump administration’s freeze on funding for the Solar for All program jeopardizes $62 million in Wisconsin that advocates say could lower power bills for low-income residents. (WUWM)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Four people were injured from an explosion at a Branson, Missouri, hotel after workers cut into a natural gas line that ignited. (KSN)