Renewables reversal looms in Ohio

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.

RENEWABLES

• Voters in a rural Ohio county have the rare opportunity to overturn a ban on wind and solar development in a state where local opposition to renewable energy has stymied projects. (Canary Media)

• A proposed bill in Iowa would standardize solar, wind and battery storage siting rules statewide to avoid variations among the state’s 99 counties, backers say. (KMA LAND)

COAL

• The closure of two Detroit-area coal plants along with state and federal efforts to reduce other industrial air pollution helped lower sulfur dioxide emissions by 57% since 2013, according to the U.S. EPA. (Planet Detroit)

• Illinois environmental groups worry that the Trump administration’s repeal of the endangerment finding incentivizes the continued operation of coal plants. (Medill Illinois News Bureau)

GRID

• We Energies tells Wisconsin regulators that it plans to ensure costs of new transmission projects to meet new load from data centers will not shift to ratepayers, though consumer advocates want more details. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

UTILITIES

• Michigan’s secretary of state and Democratic candidate for governor proposes banning political contributions from regulated utilities as part of a broader plan to lower utility costs for ratepayers. (Bridge)

BIOGAS

• The USDA extends a moratorium on loans for anaerobic digesters through the end of 2026, citing ongoing concerns with high loan delinquency and project failures. (The New Lede)

SOLAR

• Northwestern Kansas county officials consider a moratorium on commercial solar development as NextEra pursues a 500 MW project that would double the state’s solar capacity. (PV Magazine)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Indiana Michigan Power seeks to acquire a 918 MW gas plant that’s under construction next to a retired coal plant as part of a long-term plan to meet rising power demand. (WISH)

DATA CENTERS

• Members of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan unanimously approve a moratorium on data centers over concerts about stressing local resources and lacking long-term economic benefits. (Michigan Advance)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Ohio officials award $51 million in federal infrastructure funding for 64 EV charging sites across the state. (WCMH)

STORAGE

• Four communities around Kalamazoo, Michigan, are in various stages of crafting zoning ordinances for battery storage projects as developers pitch projects in the area. (FOX 17)

PIPELINES

• Iowa landowners increase pressure on state Senate lawmakers to hold a vote on legislation restricting eminent domain for carbon pipelines before session ends later this month. (Des Moines Register)

COMMENTARY

• Restrictions on local wind and solar development in Indiana cost communities hundreds of millions of dollars a year in economic activity and close to 9,000 jobs, the author of a new study from Ball State University writes. (State Affairs)