Ohio groups look to restore key air pollution rule

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.

AIR POLLUTION

• Ohio environmental groups sue to restore a key air nuisance rule used to rein in pollution from industrial facilities, including coal plants, that was removed from the latest state budget bill. (Canary Media)

ELECTIONS

• The Minneapolis City Council will retain a majority of progressive officials who have previously clashed with and overrode vetoes of moderate Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey, including on a local carbon emissions fee. (Star Tribune)

• Democrats hold on to a one-seat majority in the Minnesota Senate following two special elections on Tuesday. (Star Tribune)

• Voters in a Columbus, Ohio, suburb reject a ballot initiative that would have forced the city to offer residents analog utility meters based on claims that advanced meters cause health problems and expose personal data. (Columbus Dispatch)

STORAGE

• Xcel Energy asks Minnesota regulators for permission to double the size of an anticipated battery storage project to 600 MW at a location adjacent to a large coal plant that’s slated to close in 2030. (Utility Dive)

• Indiana’s energy secretary says battery storage is a key piece to the state’s ​“all of the above” energy strategy that can help to curb ever-rising electricity costs. (Indianapolis Star)

NUCLEAR

• NextEra Energy seeks to reopen a shuttered Iowa nuclear plant by early 2029 under an agreement with Google, though the plan is still subject to regulatory approvals. (Utility Dive)

• Small modular reactor developer First American Nuclear will establish its headquarters, manufacturing facility, and energy park in Indiana, where it will use a closed-loop system that will reuse spent nuclear fuel on site. (Chicago Tribune)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Indiana is moving forward with plans for electric vehicle chargers along interstates under new guidance from the Trump administration, which previously sought to block funding for the program. (Indiana Public Media)

GRID

• A planned transmission project in South Dakota would be the state’s highest-capacity line, and would support new gas, wind and solar generation. (South Dakota News Watch)

• Southwest Power Pool seeks to merge its transmission planning and generation interconnection processes under a proposal with federal regulators that the grid operator says could help manage surging demand. (Utility Dive)

POLITICS

• Consumers Energy’s parent company is helping to bankroll the campaign fighting a Michigan ballot initiative that would restrict utilities’ political spending, according to new campaign finance disclosures. (Energy and Policy Institute)

DATA CENTERS

• A massive Michigan data center’s agreement with DTE Energy includes a 19-year power supply contract and a commitment from the user to pay for fixed system costs that would otherwise be paid for by other customers. (Crain’s Detroit)

PIPELINES

• TC Energy has commissioned a $700 million gas pipeline replacement in Wisconsin and northern Illinois that’s meant to improve reliability and meet rising demand. (Wisconsin Public Radio)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Ohio scrapped a key tool to fight air pollution. Advocates want it back. — Kathiann M. Kowalski

• Puerto Rico’s energy future: distributed solar or centralized grid? — Kari Lydersen

• Oregon utility tries out a faster, cheaper way to power data centers — Jeff St. John