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Why redeveloping former coal plants is so hard

By Andy Balaskovitz

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COAL: Stalled efforts to redevelop a former coal plant property in Indiana reflect a broader struggle for local officials who face legal obstacles when seeking to repurpose contaminated power plant sites. (Inside Climate News)

ALSO: An Iowa Environmental Council study says pollution from two MidAmerican coal plants over a 20-year period caused 165 premature deaths and higher rates of asthma, COPD and heart disease. (Radio Iowa)

PIPELINES: After Iowa legislation to limit the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines fails for a third straight year, lawmakers and activists vow to try again next year. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: General Motors will stop producing the Chevrolet Malibu and invest $390 million in a Kansas assembly plant to make more electric vehicles. (Reuters)

FOSSIL FUELS: Ohio House lawmakers pass a bill allowing a facility that burns coal to produce coke used in the steelmaking process to claim renewable energy credits. (Cleveland.com, subscription)

CLEAN TECH: Researchers at a national laboratory in Iowa are researching ways to convert non-recyclable plastic into fuels, oils and other materials. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

GRID:

SOLAR:

  • Developers recently announced plans to add 285 MW of solar in Illinois between two utility-scale projects and a portfolio of four community solar installations. (PV Magazine)
  • Nebraska’s attorney general sues a solar installer over allegedly unlawful sales tactics and misleading customers. (NTV)

CLIMATE: Michigan becomes the latest state to propose a constitutional amendment to enshrine clean water, air, soil and a stable climate as a fundamental right, which in some states has led to limits on oil and gas drilling. (Planet Detroit)

EFFICIENCY:

  • The first large-scale Habitat for Humanity project, located just west of Chicago, will also be the first large net-zero subdivisions in the country. (Daily Commercial News)
  • Ohio announces $3.1 million in energy efficiency grants for four redevelopment projects around the state. (Spectrum News)
  • Nebraska’s attorney general joins other state leaders in a letter opposing the Biden administration’s new energy efficiency standards for appliances, claiming they are unpopular with the public. (KOLN)

COMMENTARY: An Ohio farmer says the East Palestine train derailment that damaged his property also opened his eyes to the benefits of clean energy and a proposed community solar bill. (Columbus Dispatch)

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