When cities want out of coal

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.

COAL

• Two Chicago suburbs look to back out of power supply contracts with their current provider that is heavily reliant on coal plants, and instead are searching for new contracts for cheaper and cleaner energy. (Canary Media)

CORRUPTION TRIAL

• The trial of two top former FirstEnergy executives is expected to take several more weeks, as prosecutors look to unravel their alleged roles in bribing a former utility regulator for the benefit of the company over the public. (Canary Media)

PIPELINES

• A North Dakota judge says he will order Greenpeace to pay $345 million in damages for its connection to Dakota Access pipeline protests nearly a decade ago. (Associated Press)

• Enbridge finally starts rerouting the Line 5 pipeline around a tribal reservation in northern Wisconsin after seven years of legal disputes with challengers. (Associated Press)

BATTERIES

• Ford Motor Co.’s massive electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan is on track to start production this summer after favorable court rulings quashed citizen-led efforts to block the project. (MLive)

• South Korean battery components supplier Hanjung America plans its first U.S. plant in northern Indiana that promises 300 jobs. (WTHR)

OIL & GAS

• An Ohio commission is expected to consider a request in the coming weeks to open nearly 9,000 acres in a state park and wildlife area for hydraulic fracturing. (WOSU)

GRID

• Improved interregional transmission connections that could move power from low-cost generation states in the Midwest to high-cost East Coast areas could save billions of dollars annually, according to University of Michigan researchers. (Utility Dive)

UTILITIES

• Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (D) signs legislation to address power affordability, including a measure requiring levelized billing for low-income customers to prevent large cost swings. (Indianapolis Star)

• Indiana regulators will take the unusual step of launching an investigation into the state’s five large investor-owned utilities to address an influx of affordability complaints from customers and leaders. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

• Illinois consumer advocates back state legislation that would prohibit utilities from passing the costs of certain business expenses on to customers, a move that could save residents about $40 million annually. (WIFR)

RENEWABLES

• Illinois regulators approve a long-term resources procurement plan that is expected to favor renewable energy development in the face of federal efforts to curtail clean energy tax credits. (Utility Dive)

CLIMATE

• The Iowa House passes a bill to prohibit lawsuits claiming greenhouse gases from agricultural operations harm the climate. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

BIOFUELS

• The head of a large biofuels trade group says he’s not optimistic that Congress will pass legislation anytime soon to allow year-round sales of E15 ethanol. (Radio Iowa)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Chart: US to overwhelmingly build clean power in 2026 — Julian Spector

• Balcony solar is taking state legislatures by storm — Alison F. Takemura

• Illinois cities move to cut ties with a massive coal plant — Kari Lydersen