Ohio cashes in on fracking public lands

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.

OIL & GAS

• Ohio has generated $314 million in revenue from leasing about 22,000 acres of publicly owned lands to the oil and gas industry, mostly from one-time signing bonuses for mineral rights under a state park and wildlife areas. (Signal Ohio)

DATA CENTERS

• Manufacturers are experiencing double-digit power cost increases in Ohio and other PJM states as data centers drive capacity price increases. (Reuters)

• A southeastern Kansas city approves a moratorium on construction of grid storage batteries and data centers, though two projects — including a $150 billion data center — are already in progress. (Kansas City Star)

• Industry lobbyists say new zoning regulations that are advancing in St. Louis would effectively ban large data center projects, including by limiting how much energy and water they could use. (St. Louis Public Radio)

• A data center owner sues Eagan, Minnesota, for enacting a moratorium on new or expanded data center projects over 20 MW, arguing that the city is barred from regulating electricity use. (MPR News)

STORAGE

• Local residents and public safety officials raise safety concerns over NextEra’s plan for an 8-acre, $174 million grid battery storage project that would be added on to a South Dakota wind project. (South Dakota Public Broadcasting)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Consumers Energy abandons plans for a 1.4 gigawatt gas plant in rural southeastern Michigan after residents organized in opposition. (Michigan Advance)

UTILITIES

• Indiana’s move toward utility performance-based ratepaying was among more than 360 policy actions nearly every state has taken over the past year to control rising electricity prices, according to a new analysis. (Utility Dive)

• Indiana’s ratepayer advocate asks regulators to reconsider a $71 million rate increase for AES as Gov. Mike Braun (R) takes action to replace state Utility Regulatory Commission members to prioritize affordability. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

• A federal appeals court tosses class-action lawsuits from Kansas residents over massive gas price spikes during a 2021 winter storm. (E&E News)

SOLAR

• A federal appeals court rejects landowners’ efforts to stop plans for a 500 MW NextEra solar project in northeastern Kansas. (Bloomberg Law)

• A western Michigan township sues developer RWE over a proposed 1,900-acre solar development, arguing that a state law removing local permitting oversight is unconstitutional. (FOX 17)

GRID

• Wisconsin electricity demand could rise by more than 40% by 2032 driven in large part by hyperscale data centers, according to a draft report from state regulators. (Wisconsin Public Radio)

• Maryland agencies seek to save ratepayers $20 million in a request with federal regulators to end an additional return on equity for Exelon and FirstEnergy subsidiaries that are voluntary members of PJM. (Utility Dive)

COAL

• Local officials sign a lease agreement to finally relocate decades-old coal piles along Green Bay, Wisconsin’s riverfront and clear the way for future development. (Wisconsin Public Radio)

COMMENTARY

• A northern Michigan vineyard and winery owner who has cut costs by installing solar says federal clean energy tax credits are a solid investment for businesses. (Crain’s)