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Missouri town deals with fallout of battery plant fire

By Andy Balaskovitz

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BATTERIES: A small Missouri town grapples with the fallout of a major battery recycling plant fire, as residents remain divided about whether the company should stay there and fear environmental and public health risk. (St. Louis Magazine)

GRID:

  • The rise of data centers in the Chicago area is leading to higher electricity bills for all customers that pay for the infrastructure to support the energy-intensive facilities. (Inside Climate News)
  • A new report highlights federal, regional and state regulatory shortcomings that allow utilities to increase transmission charges for local projects while avoiding investments in more regional and efficient projects. (Inside Climate News)
  • Democratic federal regulators win a Republican regulator’s support for a landmark transmission rule by giving states more input in planning grid expansions. (E&E News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

  • Calling for ​“stability and predictability,” Ford, GM and Stellantis urge President-elect Trump to keep electric vehicle rules in place; meanwhile, Tesla CEO and close Trump advisor Elon Musk has supported eliminating tax credits, reasoning it will undercut his competitors. (New York Times)
  • Tesla takes the lead on electric vehicle charging as major automakers like Ford and GM now offer customers an adapter that allows their customers to access Tesla’s vast charging station network. (NPR)

RENEWABLES: Michigan utility Consumers Energy says it won’t need to add surcharges to ratepayer bills to comply with 50% renewable energy targets by 2030, and that the state’s long-term clean energy targets will save $304 million by 2045. (MLive, subscription)

CLEAN ENERGY:

  • A Minnesota public-private partnership was launched to support clean energy startups and advance technology that will help the state transition off fossil fuels. (Twin Cities Business)
  • Trump is poised to benefit from a clean energy manufacturing renaissance that’s taking place in Michigan with policy support from the Biden administration. (Detroit News, subscription)

OIL & GAS: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum submits a federal disaster relief request related to October wildfires that were caused by natural gas flaring from oil wells and caused nearly $4 million in damage for two electric cooperatives. (North Dakota Monitor)

POLITICS: Political observers expect a true all-of-the-above approach to energy under Trump’s picks to lead the Interior and Energy departments, who have each supported both clean energy and fossil fuels. (Utility Dive)

CLIMATE: Minnesota environmental activists say it’s going to be difficult to get new climate legislation passed with an incoming divided legislature and the Trump administration. (Minnesota Daily)

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