Ohio Lt. Gov. pushed for even larger nuclear bailout

NUCLEAR: Text messages show that Ohio Lt. Gov. John Husted pushed to make the state’s scandal-ridden nuclear bailout law even larger than what lawmakers passed under HB 6. (Cleveland.com)

UTILITIES:
• Minnesota regulators reject about 10% of the costs that major gas utilities sought to pass on to customers following a February 2021 storm that caused prices to spike, leaving customers to still pay about $600 million. (Star Tribune)
• American Electric Power Chief Financial Officer Julie Sloat will take over as CEO on Jan. 1 when current leader Nick Akins steps down. (Columbus Dispatch)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• School districts in rural northern Michigan say they will struggle to transition to electric buses, even with federal funding, because of long routes and cold weather. (Traverse City Record-Eagle)
• Missouri officials submit plans to spend $100 million in federal funding on an electric vehicle charging network, which advocates hope can bring the state on par with other states’ charging infrastructure. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• U.S. mining companies say they will struggle to expand operations fast enough to produce key minerals for electric vehicles and meet tax credit deadlines under the proposed Inflation Reduction Act. (Reuters)
• Supply chain disruptions limit production for electric vehicle startup Rivian, which recorded a $1.7 billion loss in the second quarter. (CNN)

RENEWABLES: The state of Michigan and Consumers Energy enter into a 20-year agreement to power 1,274 state buildings with renewable energy. (Detroit News)

PIPELINES: A carbon pipeline developer asks Iowa regulators to acquire 95 parcels in six counties through eminent domain to support the project. (KCAU)

SOLAR:
• Officials in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, unanimously approve a resolution in support of what would be the state’s largest solar project planned near a decommissioned nuclear plant. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• Extending federal tax credits for residential solar could bring some certainty for Indiana solar installers after the state scaled back its net metering program. (WFYI)
• Solar advocates celebrate the U.S. Senate passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes a 10-year extension of the full investment tax credit that helped the industry take off in recent years. (Inside Climate News)
• A large Illinois solar project under development that will help Chicago meet a renewable energy target will also allow other cities to offset their power usage when it’s completed. (Journal Courier)

GRID: The American Council on Renewable Energy says grid operator MISO’s cost-benefit analysis of a $10.3 billion group of transmission projects could serve as a national model for measuring grid benefits. (Utility Dive)

STORAGE: A Michigan battery producer hosts an outdoor event to display camping products like RVs, appliances and air conditioners that can run on the company’s energy storage products. (FOX 17)