Missouri cities make case for transmission line

GRID: City officials from deep red Missouri counties plead with Republican state lawmakers not to spike the Grain Belt Express transmission project. (E&E News)

ALSO:
• Grid operator MISO presents plans for a $10.4 billion transmission line buildout it says would provide $37 billion in benefits over 20 years. (Utility Dive)
• Ameren Illinois has partnered with conservation groups to plant pollinator-friendly native plants on 175 acres of rural rights-of-way. (STLPR)

SOLAR:
• Wisconsin regulators approve construction of the state’s largest renewable plant, a 465 MW solar-plus-storage project near Madison. (WPR)
• An Illinois city council hears information about a planned community solar project that would allow residents to subscribe to power. (Pontiac Daily Leader)
• Solar farm opponents and supporters pack a local planning commission meeting in Michigan ahead of a vote on a moratorium on new projects. (WNEM)

WORKFORCE: Columbus, Ohio, leaders announce a new jobs program that aims to connect women and people of color with training and opportunities in clean energy. (WBNS)

POLICY: A Minnesota House committee advances a bill to appropriate $120.5 million for various solar, weatherization and other clean energy projects. (Session Daily)

COAL: The Sierra Club and Prairie Rivers Network join a lawsuit against an Illinois coal mine accused of illegally polluting the local watershed. (Southern Illinoisan)

NUCLEAR: A meeting next week will address questions about the economic impact of the looming closure of a Michigan nuclear power plant. (Holland Sentinel)

MICROGRIDS: A new study and the prospect of federal funding have boosted the outlook for a ​“smart neighborhood” microgrid concept in Highland Park, Michigan. (Planet Detroit)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Chase announces a partnership with EVgo to install electric vehicle charging stations at bank branches, starting with a location in Carmel, Indiana. (CNBC)

PUBLIC TRANSIT: Ohio cities are in line for a second round of public transit funding from last year’s bipartisan federal infrastructure law. (Capital Journal)

PIPELINES: Nebraska county officials receive an update on a proposed pipeline that would carry carbon captured from Upper Midwest ethanol plants to an underground storage site in North Dakota. (York News-Times)

BIOFUELS: The U.S. EPA denies 36 petitions from oil refiners seeking exemptions to federal biofuel blending laws. (Reuters)

CLIMATE:
• Indiana University creates a committee to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all of its campuses. (IPR)
• Two siblings from northern Minnesota win silver medals at a state science fair for projects related to climate change. (WDIO)