Midwest Energy News — a daily newsletter
Utilities pull permit for proposed Wisconsin power plant
NATURAL GAS: Utilities developing a proposed $1 billion gas-fired power plant in Superior, Wisconsin withdraw a state air permit that is being challenged by environmental groups, but say they’re still committed to the project. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
GRID:
- Indiana’s attorney general says state regulators should deny early retirements of coal plants unless utilities have secured “dispatchable” replacement power. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
- PJM Interconnection considers a plan that would allow some generation proposals to skip ahead in the interconnection queue in the name of reliability, which some companies object to as a “sweetheart deal.” (Utility Dive)
POLITICS:
- A new report says proposals under Project 2025, a policy blueprint for a second Trump term developed by conservative groups, would deprive Ohio of thousands of clean energy jobs and increase utility bills. (Energy News Network)
- A group of people wearing “Auto Workers for Trump” at a recent Michigan rally for vice presidential candidate JD Vance told a reporter they do not work for the auto industry, echoing a similar incident last year. (New Republic / Detroit News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Iowa’s Department of Transportation approves 28 electric vehicle charging projects, to be built along the state’s Interstate highways with federal funds. (Radio Iowa)
CLIMATE: The mayor of Minneapolis vetoes a proposal that would have charged the city’s largest polluters $452 per ton of carbon dioxide, claiming the plan would be illegal. (Minnesota Star Tribune)
COAL: Operators of the S.S. Badger, a ferry that crosses Lake Michigan, say they’re still exploring options to replace the popular ship’s coal-fired boilers with cleaner technology. (InsideClimate News)
OIL & GAS: North Dakota regulators say oil production is down between 60,000 and 90,000 barrels per day due to wildfires in the state. (Reuters)
WIND:
- An Iowa farmer says the owner of a wind farm has been slow to clean up a turbine that was damaged by lightning, putting their corn harvest at risk. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
- Kansas researchers compile an interactive atlas that catalogs wind energy regulations for all of the state’s 105 counties. (news release)
SOLAR:
- An Indiana county approves an ordinance doubling the buffer space for solar farms to 500 feet. (South Bend Tribune)
- The state of Michigan has allocated $3 million to help build a solar array atop a former landfill in Grand Rapids. (MLive)
CLEAN ENERGY: The USDA announces $93 million in grants for clean energy programs in rural Wisconsin. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
UTILITIES: Jury selection begins in the trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, who is accused in a corruption scandal involving utility ComEd. (Associated Press)
EQUITY: Michigan’s environmental department announces grants to 25 community-based organizations to support climate justice initiatives. (Planet Detroit)
