The solar industry’s Republican evangelist

SOLAR

• Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty emerges as the solar industry’s top Republican advocate as companies contend with federal policy aimed at slowing development. (Canary Media)
• Ohio regulators approve the state’s largest solar and battery storage project after years of legal and regulatory delays in a state where it’s notoriously difficult to develop renewable energy. (Canary Media)
• Western Michigan township officials ask the Trump administration to step in and help block a proposed utility-scale solar project that’s drawn strong local opposition. (WOOD-TV8)

CLIMATE

• Illinois legislators have largely neglected plans made under a 2025 law to study how climate migration patterns could test the state’s infrastructure and other resources, as well as the state’s ability to address climate migration over the coming decades. (Chicago Sun-Times)

FOSSIL FUELS

• DTE Energy files long-term plans with Michigan regulators that call for two new gas power plants, alongside more renewables and battery storage, to meet rising demand. (Michigan Public)

DATA CENTERS

• A majority of Ohio economists said in a recent survey that tax incentives are an effective strategy for luring data centers, though they question whether the long-term economic benefits are worth it. (Ohio Capital Journal)

EFFICIENCY

• Rising electricity costs and storm-related outages make the case for passive-home construction with onsite solar and storage in the Chicago area, advocates say. (Chicago Sun-Times)

PIPELINES

• A recent gas liquids leak from Enbridge’s Line 5 in northern Wisconsin will cost at least $15.1 million, mostly from emergency response expenses, the company disclosed in a report to federal regulators. (Wisconsin Watch)

UTILITIES

• Michigan regulators say state lawmakers should pass legislation that incentivizes utilities to leverage existing grid infrastructure rather than build new power plants as a way to reduce power costs. (Michigan Public)
• A bipartisan bill in Ohio would require utilities to provide automatic bill credits to customers who experience long or repeated power outages. (Cleveland.com)

GRID

• Property owners raise concerns over the potential location of a 220-mile transmission project through central Ohio built under a partnership between FirstEnergy and Transource Energy. (WYSO)
• The Cleveland suburb of Lakewood asks state regulators to require FirstEnergy to provide an interim plan for reliable power as the utility undertakes an up to nine-year plan to overhaul its local power grid. (Cleveland.com)