The race for an Illinois storage bill

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

STORAGE

• Advocates and energy companies push Illinois lawmakers to pass legislation that incentivizes energy storage projects that will be key to meeting the state’s ambitious clean energy targets. (Canary Media)

GRID

• The data center boom and retirement of fossil fuel plants could affect Illinois’ grid and ratepayers differently based on the divide between the MISO and PJM grids, experts say. (Chicago Tribune)

• Southwest Power Pool will file a proposal with federal regulators later this month on plans to speed up its interconnection process and bring new generation online faster. (Utility Dive)

BIOFUELS

• The Trump administration has frozen $38 million for a research project that aimed to figure out how to use dramatically less fertilizer on biofuel crops that could limit potent greenhouse gases while saving farmers $6 billion. (Illinois Public Media)

HYDROGEN

• Major steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs plans to substantially scale back plans to use hydrogen to make steel at an Ohio plant to better align with the Trump administration’s energy priorities. (E&E News)

PIPELINES

• The Iowa Senate adjourned on Friday without considering bills to place restrictions on the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines, drawing fierce rebukes from landowners in the gallery. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

SOLAR

• Michigan will not move forward with a plan to lease 420 acres of public land for solar development after a previous proposal generated strong debate over pursuing renewable energy on state land. (Bridge)

• The city of Detroit expects to soon acquire the remaining land needed for the second phase of a project to install solar projects on vacant property. (Michigan Public)

• Registration reopens for a solar group-buying program for residents in seven central Ohio counties, which so far has signed up 9,000 houses. (WCMH)

CLIMATE

• University of Minnesota officials say the school has lost 79 federal grants totaling more than $22 million, including for climate and energy research, as a result of Trump administration budget cuts. (MPR News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Foxconn confirms plans to invest $26 million into an Ohio EV factory that’s gaining momentum after a series of business setbacks for the vehicle manufacturer. (Mahoning Matters)

COMMENTARY

• A panel of federal appeals court judges got it right by upholding the conviction of Ohio’s former House speaker for accepting bribes from FirstEnergy as the utility was ​“bleeding cash,” an editorial board writes. (Toledo Blade)