Utilities backslide on climate pledges

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Midwest Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

UTILITIES

• The country’s largest utilities are backsliding from their climate and clean energy commitments as they plan for more gas-fired power plants to meet data center demand, a new Sierra Club report finds. (Canary Media)

CARBON CAPTURE

• North Dakota’s attorney general considers legal options the state might have against South Dakota for banning the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines, which he calls a ​“hostile act” that impedes interstate commerce. (North Dakota Monitor)

GRID

• Microsoft’s president addresses concerns over a major Wisconsin data center, noting that the facility will have a 250 MW solar project to reduce grid strain and pay higher rates to avoid cost-shifting to other customers. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

GEOTHERMAL

• The northeastern Iowa city of West Union was among the first in the country to install a municipal geothermal network, saving money and serving as a model for other cities to follow. (Inside Climate News)

STORAGE

• Illinois lawmakers may revisit an energy package this fall that includes a proposal to add a battery storage surcharge on utility bills that would give developers financial guarantees they can leverage for private investment. (Capitol News Illinois)

PIPELINES

• The Trump administration intervenes in a federal lawsuit over Line 5, siding with Enbridge as the company challenges Michigan’s attempt to withdraw an easement allowing it to operate in the Straits of Mackinac. (Detroit Free Press)

• In a separate case, the Michigan Supreme Court agrees to hear arguments from tribes and environmental groups challenging state regulators’ approval of permits for a Line 5 tunnel project. (Detroit News)

EMISSIONS

• Local activists say Nippon Steel’s pledge for a new $4 billion steel mill in Gary, Indiana, should use direct reduction furnaces to reduce pollution and move away from coal-fired blast furnaces. (Chicago Tribune)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Michigan State University researchers take feedback from farmers on emerging models of electric tractors that could be ideal for small farmers looking to cut their emissions. (Associated Press)

CLIMATE

• Columbus, Ohio, has set climate targets that include carbon neutrality by 2050 and increasing reliance on renewable energy as the rest of the state backtracks to favor fossil fuels. (Axios)

SOLAR

• A Minnesota school district installs solar panels on four buildings through a state program that’s expected to save the district $1 million over 40 years. (West Central Tribune)

• A southern Illinois county board approves plans for a solar project on a former strip mine, and approves two other projects that had come back for consideration after resolving complaints from nearby residents. (The Telegraph)