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Ohio’s energy double standard

By Andy Balaskovitz

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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.

FOSSIL FUELS

  • In what critics consider a double standard, Ohio law allows local governments and disgruntled residents to stall or block renewable energy projects while preventing almost all local decision-making power on fossil fuel projects. (Canary Media)

SOLAR

  • Illinois’ solar industry momentum has translated into job opportunities, particularly with installers that are seeking young workers through workforce development programs. (Canary Media)

  • Residents in a southern Michigan township build opposition to plans for a 140 MW solar project that’s in the early stages of the approval process. (MLive)

  • Ohio’s Republican attorney general sues an out-of-state solar company for aggressive tactics and misleading claims about their investments. (WHIO)

OIL & GAS

  • An Ohio board votes to open about 6,600 combined acres of public land in eastern Ohio to the natural gas industry amid ongoing criticism from environmental groups. (Signal Ohio)

DATA CENTERS

  • Wisconsin’s data center building boom comes after two decades of declining electricity and water use, and will require utilities to build new infrastructure to support them. (Wisconsin Watch)

  • Microsoft’s president says the company is trying to build trust in a southeastern Wisconsin community and invest in workforce development as part of plans for a $7.7 billion data center. (Racine County Eye)

  • Republican and Democratic candidates for Wisconsin governor say data center development should be responsibly managed to balance land use issues while protecting utility customers from rising infrastructure costs. (Wisconsin Examiner)

UTILITIES

  • Two former top FirstEnergy officials may call Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Sen. Jon Husted to testify in their defense at their upcoming criminal trial involving their role in the House Bill 6 scandal. (Signal Ohio)

  • Indiana lawmakers begin testimony on legislation meant to tackle energy affordability by reshaping low-income customer programs, blocking service shut-offs on extremely hot days, and creating predictable billing plans, among other measures. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

PIPELINES

  • The U.S. Supreme Court denies two Iowa counties’ request to review a lower court ruling that federal regulations preempt counties’ carbon pipeline ordinances. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

  • The Iowa House advances a bill to prohibit the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines, which critics say would kill the proposed Summit project and limit the state from competing. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

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