Study: EVs would save money for most drivers

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Switching to an electric vehicle would provide cost benefits to nine out of 10 U.S. drivers, but the lowest-income Americans would be left behind, according to a University of Michigan study. (Grist)

ALSO:
• States should provide local governments with guidance on how to change policies and operations to support electric vehicle infrastructure, Michigan’s chief mobility officer says. (Smart Cities Dive)
• A rural Missouri school district will be among the first in the state to transition to electric buses, which administrators say will significantly cut fuel costs. (Daily Yonder)

RENEWABLES:
• Illinois lawmakers pass legislation, now headed to the governor, that would require local governments to follow statewide setbacks for wind and solar projects. (WSPY)
• Eastern Ohio township officials request that the county adopt a resolution to ban commercial wind and solar projects. (Salem News)

UTILITIES:
• Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan once quipped that his associates had ​“made out like bandits” with contractual work from ComEd that helped the utility curry political favor. (Chicago Sun-Times)
• Northeastern Ohio electricity customers will face higher prices this summer after FirstEnergy agrees to pay higher than normal wholesale prices at a recent auction. (Cleveland.com)

AIR POLLUTION: A U.S. EPA proposal to lower soot emission limits could particularly benefit public health in Indiana metropolitan areas that are close to violating current standards, experts say. (Indiana Public Radio)

FOSSIL FUELS:
• Controversy still surrounds a proposed southern Indiana facility that would convert coal into what proponents say is cleaner diesel fuel. (Indianapolis Star)
• North Dakota regulators separately fine a coal company for not following water handling rules and a pipeline company for a siting violation. (Bismarck Tribune)
• The head of the American Petroleum Institute says Ohio is a key distribution and production state for oil and gas. (Toledo Blade)

PIPELINES: Kansas waterways are recovering after a 14,000-barrel oil spill from the Keystone pipeline last month, according to state health and environmental officials. (KSHB)

COAL: The owner of an Illinois coal plant that stopped operating at the end of 2022 plans a 37 MW battery storage project on the site. (WCBU)

SOLAR: A solar developer says proposed projects would be key for economic development in Nebraska. (McCook Gazette)

NATURAL GAS: Site preparation begins for a three-year project to build a $1.2 billion combined cycle natural gas plant in Lordstown, Ohio. (Business Journal)

CLEAN ENERGY: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will travel to Europe next week to tout the state’s investments in mobility and hydrogen while also hoping to attract clean energy investments. (Associated Press)

GRID:
• Nearly 25% of grid operator PJM’s power generation fleet shut down during widespread winter storms at the end of December. (Bloomberg)
• Duke Energy Indiana plans to build a transmission line between two communities near Indianapolis to accommodate population growth. (Hamilton County Reporter)