Minnesota law brings more voices before utility regulators

OVERSIGHT: A year-old Minnesota law that expanded a program compensating nonprofits for hiring experts to testify in utility rate cases has already brought new voices before state regulators. (Energy News Network)

PIPELINES:

• A new documentary focuses on the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians’ legal fight to remove Enbridge’s aging Line 5 pipeline from reservation land characterized as the ​“Everglades of the North.” (Inside Climate News)
• Pipeline activists recently convened in Chicago to provide a unified voice behind shutting down Line 5 that spans northern Wisconsin and all of Michigan. (Chicago Tribune, subscription)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: Environmental justice advocates cheer as the Minneapolis city council unanimously approves a resolution urging county officials to close a controversial trash incinerator by 2028. (Sahan Journal)

SOLAR: Wisconsin leads Midwest states for installed utility-scale solar while North Dakota is at the bottom of the list with no utility-scale projects. (Canary Media)

NUCLEAR: Donald Trump and JD Vance offer differing views on nuclear energy during recent podcast interviews, with Vance saying this week that nuclear power would be an effective strategy to combat climate change. (HuffPost)

CLEAN ENERGY: Nonprofit leaders across the country share a level of anxiety about the results of the upcoming election and what it could mean for the clean energy transition, though some say real progress will play out at the state level. (Inside Climate News)

ELECTION:

• An eastern Ohio school district asks voters to approve a new levy to help generate tax revenue lost when a gas pipeline owner appealed and then lowered its taxable value. (WYSO)
• A national group hoping that climate change voters who haven’t previously participated in elections can make the difference in swing states isn’t involved in Michigan and Wisconsin, where there aren’t as many non-voting environmentalists. (Grist)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Ford plans to idle a Detroit-area electric truck plant for weeks as it contends with softer-than-expected EV sales. (Detroit Free Press)
• The Midwest is home to a wave of new fast-charging electric vehicle stations that are expected to proliferate in the coming years. (Bloomberg, subscription)

GRID:

• FirstEnergy’s CEO says state agencies could consider procuring generation capacity outside typical capacity auctions in PJM’s territory as a way to ensure adequate supplies are on the grid. (Utility Dive)
• Xcel Energy officials say they welcome the coming wave of data centers because they will accelerate transmission and generation build. (RTO Insider, subscription)

CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just contributing to spikes in home insurance premiums, but also car insurance rates as vehicles are susceptible to worsening storms, according to a new report. (Inside Climate News)