Ohio regulators’ special counsel has HB6 ties

OHIO: A law firm hired to help Ohio regulators respond to federal subpoenas and public records requests related to the House Bill 6 corruption scandal has multiple ties to state and utility officials who were involved in passing the law. (Energy News Network/​Eye on Ohio)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, President Biden announces $900 million in federal funding to build electric vehicle charging stations in 34 states and Puerto Rico. (Bridge Michigan, Associated Press)
• Local officials delay the approval of a regional electric vehicle readiness plan in Missouri in order to incorporate more public feedback. (Southeast Missourian)

COAL:
• With U.S. landfills disproportionately located in low-income, minority communities, some advocates worry these areas will be targets as utilities seek to relocate coal ash waste. (Energy News Network/​Chicago Investigative Project)
• Roughly 80% of operating and recently retired U.S. coal plants could host an advanced nuclear power reactor, reducing capital costs by up to 35% compared to a greenfield project, according to the Department of Energy. (Utility Dive)

EMISSIONS: Minneapolis becomes the third U.S. city to pass an emissions-free shipping resolution that encourages carbon neutrality in shipping among corporate importers. (Grist)

UTILITIES:
• Unions and management reach a tentative deal to avert a strike among railroad workers that threatened to disrupt widespread energy fuel supplies. (CNN)
• A Missouri utility denies that billing errors have caused customers to experience skyrocketing cost increases for electricity and other utilities. (KOLR)

PIPELINES:
• Legal experts are closely watching a federal trespassing case involving a Wisconsin tribe and the Line 5 pipeline to determine whether elements of the case could apply in Michigan. (MLive)
• A carbon pipeline developer says it has reached landowner easement agreements covering more than half of the proposed route through Iowa. (AgWeek)

SOLAR:
• The largest solar project planned in Kansas has pitted neighbors against each other over the 2,000-acre project’s use of rural land. (KCUR)
• Customer complaints and state investigations over dubious sales tactics mount against multi-state solar installer Pink Energy, formerly known as Powerhome Solar. (FOX 2)
• A township in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula advances a solar zoning ordinance to regulate private and utility-scale projects. (WLUC)

EFFICIENCY: A Cleveland suburb prepares to undergo energy efficiency infrastructure upgrades to cut electricity costs. (Cleveland.com)

OIL & GAS: South Dakota-based Black Hills Corp. plans to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its natural gas distribution system by 2035 through renewable fuel blending, carbon offsets and technology innovations. (S&P GLobal)

GRID: A Kansas group advocating for large energy users raises concerns about potential cost increases under Evergy’s sustainability plan that calls for transmission investments. (Washburn Review)