Trash, wood burning could be considered ​‘carbon-free’ in Minnesota

EMISSIONS: Minnesota regulators leave open the possibility that burning wood or trash for electricity could qualify as carbon-free, depending on how overall emissions are calculated, under the state’s new clean energy law. (Star Tribune)

ALSO: Environmental groups and some lawmakers oppose the decision, saying it goes against the intent of the 2023 law. (Sahan Journal)

FOSSIL FUELS: Lobbyists working for major North American oil and gas companies helped lawmakers in several states, including Ohio, craft legislation to increase legal penalties for climate activists. (The Guardian)

GRID:

• Grid operator MISO advances plans for a $21.8 billion portfolio of transmission projects that analysts say could produce up to $23.1 billion in net benefits, partly by limiting the need for new generation. (Utility Dive)
• Five-year grid investment plans by Michigan’s two large investor-owned utilities to reach or slightly exceed industry averages for reliability could have ​“significant impacts on electricity prices,” an auditor says. (E&E News, subscription)
• Kansas regulators approve plans for two transmission lines that would collect power from wind and solar projects for the Grain Belt Express project. (KSNT)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• The Biden administration’s policies on electric vehicles is a key issue among voters leading up to the November election in a Republican-leaning metro Detroit congressional district. (Bridge)
• Geologists are searching Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for nickel deposits that could provide key materials for electric vehicle batteries. (E&E News, subscription)

CLIMATE: A new poll finds 58% of Black voters in battleground states view climate change as a major priority, and messaging on clean energy and climate change increased voting motivation for 33% of Black voters. (Michigan Advance)

CLEAN ENERGY: A Nebraska startup that uses clean energy to split natural gas into carbon and hydrogen to make industrial products is running short on cash and faces delays after securing a $1 billion government loan. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)

SOLAR:

• Ohio legislation to create a statewide community solar program stalls amid opposition from large utilities. (WCMH)
• Southern Indiana residents remain divided over a proposed 2,050-acre solar project as leaseholders say it’s their decision how to use their land and neighbors claim it would devalue their property. (WHAS)
• DTE Energy has broken ground on three solar projects across Michigan in recent months to meet demand for its voluntary customer renewable energy program. (Solar Power World)

WIND: The state of Iowa sues a Washington-state company for allegedly dumping tons of old wind turbine blades around the state, in violation of solid waste laws. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

ELECTRIFICATION: The Rosebud Sioux Tribe is awarded $11.8 million in federal funding to electrify and retrofit homes on the tribe’s reservation. (South Dakota Searchlight)

RENEWABLES: Rural opposition to wind and solar power goes back roughly 20 years in Michigan when the state first adopted a renewable energy standard, and the disputes continue today as utilities ramp up their clean energy portfolios. (Michigan Public)