Minnesota will scrutinize carbon pipeline safety

BIOGAS: Michigan clean energy advocates say a recent report by an industry consulting firm confirms their position that renewable natural gas is ​“at best, a niche solution for cutting emissions, and it is costly.” (Planet Detroit)

CARBON CAPTURE:
• Minnesota regulators will require a proposed carbon pipeline to undergo an extensive environmental review to ensure the project’s safety. (Star Tribune)
• South Dakota regulators will hold hearings on the project in September after receiving an unprecedented amount of intervenors and public comments. (AgWeek)

RENEWABLES: Major Indiana employers and two large cities encourage regulators to establish a green tariff program that makes it easier to purchase renewable energy. (Indiana Environmental Reporter)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• The CEO of major automaker Stellantis says electric vehicle costs will need to come down to make them affordable for middle class drivers. (Associated Press)
• A company planning a St. Louis facility that will manufacture components for lithium ion batteries recently agreed to pay a $33.5 million fine for pollution at a facility in Israel. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

OIL & GAS: North Dakota regulators schedule a public hearing for a utility’s $790 million plan to more than double the capacity of a natural gas plant and build an associated transmission line. (Mandan News)

PIPELINES:
• A Michigan State University researcher says it can be difficult to fully clean up diluted bitumen after an oil spill like the recent leak from the Keystone pipeline in Kansas. (KCUR)
• Despite Keystone resuming operations, a ban on flying drones near the site remains in effect, limiting the public’s view of the spill’s impact. (Topeka Capital-Journal)
• A U.S. Department of Energy report finds that canceling the Keystone XL pipeline jeopardized 16,000 to 59,000 construction jobs and $3.1 billion in economic impact. (KUMV)

GRID: DTE Energy partners with Michigan labor unions to train prisoners for tree-trimming jobs, which are crucial for the utility’s grid infrastructure program. (Associated Press)

WIND: State regulators approve plans for a 71-turbine wind project in central South Dakota. (KELO)

HYDROELECTRIC: Much of the hydraulic oil that leaked from a hydroelectric dam into a Wisconsin river last November has been cleaned up. (WQOW)

COMMENTARY: Continued electric vehicle adoption and potential clean energy bills in Michigan and Minnesota are among one reporter’s top energy issues to watch this year. (Inside Climate News)