Wisconsin law limits clean energy at multifamily housing

SOLAR: A Wisconsin law that requires multifamily housing owners to get permission from their utility or the state before installing onsite renewable energy has limited rooftop solar installations at apartments, condos and affordable housing projects. (Capital Times)

EFFICIENCY: Minnesota taconite mine owners are investing in energy efficiency technology as the industry faces growing pressure from governments, investors and customers to reduce emissions. (KAXE/​Energy News Network)

PIPELINES:

• The North Dakota Supreme Court is set to hear an appeal from landowners who were sued by a carbon pipeline developer for refusing to allow surveyors on their property. (North Dakota Monitor)
• The federal agency that oversees oil and gas and carbon pipeline safety has not grown in proportion to the amount of new projects coming online. (States Newsroom)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A Columbus, Ohio, electric vehicle charging station is the first in the country to be funded by the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law. (Inside Climate News)
• An automotive supplier that recycles and reuses electric vehicle batteries and other components announces a nearly $8 million expansion in western Michigan. (Crain’s Grand Rapids Business)
• Ford is partnering with a maker of smart home products on a pilot program to determine how vehicle-to-home power management can help lower energy costs for participants. (Utility Dive)
• Large oil and gas companies are entering the electric vehicle space by buying up thousands of charging stations or having franchisees install them at gas stations. (Automotive News, subscription)

EMISSIONS: The U.S. EPA’s new methane emission-reduction rules divide states, particularly large oil and gas producers, over whether it will limit production. (E&E News)

GRID:

• Northeastern Nebraska residents raise noise concerns about plans for a new transmission line that a utility says is necessary to support rising power demand. (News Channel Nebraska)
• The Biden administration is prioritizing ways to speed up the process for building transmission lines, which officials say need to double to meet a 100% clean power target by 2035. (States Newsroom)
• ComEd plans a major substation expansion project that will support the interconnection of up to 2.45 GW of wind and solar power. (Renewables Now)

OIL & GAS: Minnesota regulators fine two convenience store operators $200,000 and will require them to spend $3.25 million on equipment upgrades following environmental violations involving gas storage tanks. (Pioneer Press)

COMMENTARY:

• The recent indictment of Ohio’s former top utility regulator ​“doesn’t tell the full story” of how he and others also stunted renewable energy projects, including an offshore wind pilot project in Cleveland, an editorial board writes. (Cleveland.com)
• Illinois regulators’ role to watchdog utility spending will become even more important during the state’s clean energy transition, a consumer advocate writes. (Sun-Times)
• Yet another lawsuit between a suburban St. Louis homeowner and their homeowners association over solar panels is playing out as more Missouri residents seek to install rooftop panels, a columnist writes. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)