Transportation emissions stand in way of Minnesota’s climate goals

CLEAN ENERGY: Southern Illinois community leaders share a growing faith that clean energy will gain a foothold in the region that has long been economically and culturally tied to the coal industry. (Energy News Network)

EMISSIONS: Minnesota has struggled to reduce transportation emissions, which pose a key challenge as the state updates its long-term climate action plan. (Star Tribune)

RENEWABLES:
• An Ohio county board will vote soon whether to ban utility-scale wind and solar projects, which are opposed by 12 of the county’s 13 townships. (Journal-News)
• A Cleveland suburb considers creating a municipal electric aggregation program that would offer customers a 100% clean energy option starting next year. (Cleveland.com)

COAL:
• The U.S. EPA has developed a list of 160 unlined coal ash storage sites that could pose a threat to groundwater if formally closed. (E&E News)
• A developer overseeing the cleanup and demolition of an Ohio coal plant is in a dispute with organized labor over using unionized workers for the project. (Morning Journal)

PIPELINES:
• Environmental groups say a gear oil spill from a steel mill site last week that polluted a large river between Michigan and Ontario highlights the potential damage of a spill from the Line 5 pipeline. (MLive)
• Some Illinois residents speak out in opposition of a proposed carbon capture pipeline based on safety, environmental effects and land use concerns. (Journal Courier)
• 21 state attorneys general urge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to object to the Biden administration’s proposed review of a nationwide pipeline permitting program. (WIBW)

CLIMATE: Wisconsin health and climate experts say officials should consider naming heat waves similar to hurricanes in hopes of highlighting the dangers of such deadly weather. (Wisconsin State Journal)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Ohio advocates weigh in on how officials should distribute $140 million in federal funding for electric vehicle infrastructure. (News-Sun)

UTILITIES:
• An administrative law judge recommends state regulators approve ComEd’s offer to refund ratepayers $31 million to settle claims involving a yearslong bribery scheme. (Crain’s Chicago Business, subscription)
• AES Ohio seeks state regulatory approval to remotely disconnect customers for non-payment. (Dayton Daily News)

SOLAR: A developer secures financing for the construction of a $1.5 billion solar project planned in northwestern Indiana. (Inside Indiana Business)

BIOFUELS: Michigan-based biofuel producers receive an $8.6 million share of a $700 million federal relief program to help companies recover from pandemic-related market losses. (MiBiz)