Semantics dominate Ohio coal ash lawsuit

COAL: Industry groups argue in court that the U.S. EPA’s 2015 coal ash rules don’t specifically bar coal ash at an Ohio power plant from contact with groundwater, and that the agency’s enforcement efforts amount to new federal rulemaking. (Energy News Network)

CLEAN ENERGY: Minnesota lawmakers start hearings on legislation aimed at streamlining renewable energy and transmission permitting in an effort to speed up the clean energy transition. (Inside Climate News)

PIPELINES: An Indigenous attorney recounts a frustrating experience testifying in a case between North Dakota and the federal government over Dakota Access pipeline costs, noting tribal sovereignty is at the heart of the case. (North Dakota Monitor)

OIL & GAS: An unidentified gas driller applies to open another Ohio protected wildlife area to oil and gas extraction. (Cleveland.com, subscription)

GEOTHERMAL: A Minneapolis community center seeks $10 million in state funding to help pay for a geothermal heat pump system to replace aging gas-fired boilers that heat the 100-year-old building. (Star Tribune)

SOLAR:

• A renewable energy developer will contract with Facebook’s parent company on a new 349 MW solar project in Missouri. (The Telegraph)
• Division among Detroit residents over siting several city-backed solar projects reflects statewide disputes over where to put renewable energy projects. (Detroit News, subscription)
• A vacant house in a Detroit neighborhood is being converted into a solar workforce training site that hosts various community events and services. (Model D)

CLIMATE:

• A Biden administration official notes the significance of states and cities covering more than 96% of the U.S. population crafting climate action plans to compete for Inflation Reduction Act funding. (CNN)
• Indiana’s attorney general joins a lawsuit seeking to block the SEC’s climate disclosure rule shortly after it was finalized last week. (Utility Dive)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Manufacturing electric vehicles initially creates more carbon emissions than making gasoline-powered cars, though EVs overcome the emissions difference within roughly two years, a new report finds. (E&E News, subscription)
• The cost of charging an electric vehicle varies widely by state, with most of the Midwest below the national average. (Axios)

GRID: Ameren plans to install more than 42,000 smart meters in southeastern Missouri by the end of this summer. (KFVS)