Minnesota’s largest gas utility to start decarbonization plan

CLEAN ENERGY: Minnesota regulators approve CenterPoint Energy’s $106 million clean energy plan that includes renewable natural gas and geothermal heating under a 2021 law that targets the gas industry’s emissions. (Star Tribune)

EMISSIONS: Minnesota environmental justice advocates challenge proposals to define trash incinerators and wood biomass plants as carbon-free energy sources under the state’s recent 2040 energy target. (Sahan Journal)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Nebraska officials hope to open applications soon for electric vehicle charging station grants, as a lack of charging options continues to hinder EV adoption in the state. (Flatwater Free Press)
• Michigan officials have faced legislative roadblocks while attempting to electrify the state’s vehicle fleet, which still overwhelmingly includes gas-powered vehicles. (Bridge)
• Reporters on an electric vehicle trip around Lake Michigan say charging overnight is key to passing through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, a mostly rural area known for a lack of chargers. (Bridge)

COAL:

• Michigan’s two largest utilities operated coal plants at a $20 million loss between 2021 and 2023 when lower cost gas and renewables could have been deployed, according to a recent Natural Resources Defense Council report. (Michigan Public)
• Local officials in northeastern Ohio welcome federal Inflation Reduction Act funding that will help shutter a coal plant that opened in 1908 and add solar and battery storage to the property. (Inside Climate News)

SOLAR:

• A developer begins public listening sessions for a proposed 220 MW Iowa solar project that would include 180 MW of battery storage. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• A Canadian solar panel company that has a manufacturing campus in Minnesota will partner with an Indian company to open a silicon-based solar cell manufacturing plant in the U.S. (Solar Power World)