Ohio bill could further limit renewables

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Midwest Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

RENEWABLES

• Ohio lawmakers advance legislation that places capacity factor requirements on new generation that critics say would hobble new wind and solar development, despite bipartisan agreement that the state needs to get more power supply online. (Canary Media)

DATA CENTERS

• Oracle sues the Wisconsin Public Service Commission over requirements that data centers maintain certain credit ratings or post financial guarantees to reduce the risks of shifting costs to ratepayers if a project stalls. (Wisconsin Watch)

• Xcel Energy files a rate proposal with Wisconsin regulators that would require data centers to pay all costs tied to new transmission lines or power plants needed to serve their facilities. (Wisconsin Public Radio)

GRID

• Minnesota Power breaks ground on a 465-mile, $900 million transmission line that will help Minnesota meet its clean energy targets with wind energy from North Dakota. (MPR)

• North Dakota landowners and townships ask the state Supreme Court to find that state regulators did not properly engage affected communities along a proposed 90-mile transmission route. (North Dakota Monitor)

• Ohio regulators expect to vote today on FirstEnergy’s request to relax state reliability standards that would give the utility more time to restore power and allow more service disruptions annually. (News 5 Cleveland)

• American Transmission Co. files a complaint with federal regulators claiming grid operator MISO mishandled the competitive solicitation process for a $350 million power line and four substations in Wisconsin. (E&E News)

UTILITIES

• Michigan regulators are designing a program that would cap low-income households’ gas and electric bills at no more than 6% of their income, a move that ratepayers say is sorely needed to avoid the need for a patchwork of current programs. (Associated Press)

• Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Braun replaces the chair of the state Utilities Regulatory Commission days after regulators approved a $71 million rate increase for utility AES Indiana. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

SOLAR

• The Detroit City Council approves a 35-year agreement to shift the development of neighborhood solar projects to DTE Energy after the initial developer sold to a private equity firm. (Detroit Free Press)

• Developer RWE will seek local tax incentives for a commercial solar project on reclaimed coal mining land in southwestern Indiana. (WTHI)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Northwest Indiana environmental advocates call on Nippon Steel to make clean energy investments at U.S. Steel facilities to protect public health. (Chicago Tribune)

CLIMATE

• Three Democratic Midwest governors sign on to a joint letter calling on Congress to reject legislation that would shield major oil and gas companies from climate lawsuits. (E&E News)