States seek to limit Michigan coal plant costs

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Midwest Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

COAL

• The costs for keeping a Michigan coal plant online under a Trump administration order should be contained to a smaller area of MISO’s footprint and not spread across a broader region, say regulators, advocates, and utilities outside Michigan. (Utility Dive)

UTILITIES

• Former FirstEnergy CEO Steve Strah testifies that he had no firsthand knowledge of a $4.3 million bribery paid to the state’s former top utility regulator in exchange for preferential treatment. (Akron Beacon Journal)

• Ratepayer advocates raise concerns over AES Indiana’s latest rate hike request that the utility says is needed to pay for grid maintenance and infrastructure improvements. (Indianapolis Star)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Ford says it’s committed to completing and operating a $3 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan after an executive recently said the project was in jeopardy if it lost access to federal tax incentives. (Detroit News)

• Milwaukee plans to install electric vehicle charging stations at five county parks and a zoo as part of broader climate goals. (Urban Milwaukee)

NUCLEAR

• Federal regulators say they remain on track to decide by the end of July whether a shuttered southwestern Michigan nuclear plant can resume operating. (MLive)

• Republican Congress members from Ohio sponsor legislation to promote nuclear fuel recycling at a commercial scale by simplifying licensing requirements. (Cleveland.com)

PIPELINES

• The Iowa Senate is unlikely to hold a special session to override Gov. Kim Reynolds’ veto of a carbon pipeline eminent domain bill, but landowners vow to make the issue a priority in next year’s elections. (Des Moines Register)

SOLAR

• The University of Minnesota has deployed mobile solar panels on a trailer that moves across grazing fields and provides shade for cattle. (Echo Press)

• Researchers say more study is needed about the potential impacts of floating solar panel projects on biodiversity, though they could potentially be designed to protect wildlife. (Grist)

FOSSIL FUELS

• GOP lawmakers in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula hope the state Senate advances a bill that would exempt new models of gas-powered generating plants from the state’s 2040 renewable energy standard. (Upper Michigan Source)

CLIMATE

• A team of University of Illinois researchers monitoring the effects of extreme temperatures on the public are also working to develop future climate mitigation strategies. (CBS Chicago)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Steelmakers planning new facilities in the U.S. are embracing a cleaner technology for purifying iron ore, which can then be used in electric furnaces to finish the steelmaking process, Alexander C. Kaufman reports.

• A growing number of rural counties are installing EV chargers, though major charging deserts remain, Julia Tilton reports.