Minnesota regains access to federal funds for climate plan

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GRID

• Tech firms, utilities and power plant owners in the Midwest and beyond join an effort to ensure data centers provide assets to the power grid — including through cooling equipment, on-site generation and batteries — to reduce or shift power use during peak times. (Canary Media)

• A national grid equipment manufacturers group predicts U.S. electricity demand will grow 2% annually over the next 25 years from data centers and other sectors, while the Inflation Reduction Act has helped decrease reliance on Chinese imports. (Utility Dive)

EMISSIONS

• The Trump administration restores Minnesota’s access to federal funding under the Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law for a sweeping $200 million climate and emission-reduction plan. (Star Tribune)

NUCLEAR

• Data centers could provide a revenue lifeline for Illinois’ six nuclear plants, which in recent years have been supported by a zero-emissions standard and a carbon mitigation credit that are set to expire in 2027, as well as a federal tax credit that could come under scrutiny. (S&P Global)

• Minnesota Republicans, now in control of the state House, seek to reopen discussions on statewide clean energy goals and lifting a moratorium on new nuclear plants. (MPR News)

PIPELINES

• In its $300 million defamation lawsuit against Greenpeace, the Dakota Access pipeline owner claims the nonprofit’s statements against the project caused eight banks to back out of financing the pipeline. (North Dakota Monitor)

SOLAR

• A Wisconsin philanthropist who has funded several solar projects in his small town outside of Madison, and helped save hundreds of thousands of dollars in electricity costs, hopes to model the benefits to other towns statewide. (Capital Times)

• Top U.S. solar panel maker First Solar, which has facilities in Ohio, says tariffs on its imported components and questions about clean energy tax credits are creating widespread uncertainty. (E&E News)

UTILITIES

• The Missouri Senate passes a bill that would allow utilities to set rates based on projected costs and revenues, including passing costs for a new natural gas plant on to customers before a project is completed. (Missourinet)

FOSSIL FUELS

• North Dakota urges a judge to toss out a Biden-era resource management plan for fossil fuels and minerals on federal land that state officials say improperly prioritizes conservation over the state’s interests. (E&E News)

• Democrats denounce President Trump’s energy emergency declaration as a ​“sham,” as the administration has used the move to boost oil and gas production and slash the federal environmental protection workforce. (Associated Press)

EFFICIENCY

• A freeze on roughly $76 million in federal funding for weatherization projects on low- and moderate-income homes ​“has real consequences for Minnesotans,” a state official says. (MPR News)

CLIMATE

• The U.S. EPA urges the White House to reverse a 2009 declaration that greenhouse gases are a public threat — a move that could undo most climate regulations and make it harder for future presidents to enact new ones. (Washington Post)