Discover the Latest News and Initiatives for a Sustainable Future

SOLAR: The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe expects to break ground later this year on a planned 756 MW solar installation on its land in southwestern Colorado. (KSUT)

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ALSO: A California lawmaker introduces legislation that would require state regulators to consider all economic and environmental benefits of rooftop solar when setting net metering rates. (PV Magazine)

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CLEAN ENERGY:

• An Idaho county votes to draft an ordinance banning utility-scale wind and solar facilities on private land after some residents raise concerns about effects on wildlife and views. (East Idaho News)
• Utah lawmakers advance legislation that would establish tax credits for significant investments into low-emissions energy infrastructure. (Deseret News)

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UTILITIES:

• Hawaiian Electric says a $175 million Maui wildfire recovery fund will launch March 1. (Utility Dive)
• An Arizona utility seeks proposals to develop 1,200 MW of new peak generating capacity and up to 2,500 MW of carbon-free capacity. (Utility Dive)
• Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer urges residents to run for the state’s utility commission to give ratepayers representation they currently lack. (Billings Gazette)
• California regulators approve Pacific Gas & Electric’s $18 billion wildfire mitigation plan. (Action News Now)

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OIL & GAS: Occidental Petroleum predicts its plan to inject captured carbon into its Permian Basin oil and gas wells will increase crude production by as much as 12,000 barrels daily by 2026. (E&E News, subscription)

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PIPELINES: Tribal nations and advocates push back against a proposed pipeline that would carry Permian Basin natural gas to an export terminal in Mexico, saying it threatens sacred sites and could fuel the LNG boom. (DeSmog)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Flagging electric vehicle sales in California raises questions about the state’s ability to meet its ambitious climate goals. (Los Angeles Times)
• California’s energy commission plans to spend $1.85 billion over the next four years to expand zero-emission vehicle infrastructure, with the bulk of the funding going toward medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. (RTO Insider, subscription)

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CLIMATE:

• Montana asks the state’s Supreme Court to overturn a lower court’s 2023 finding that the state’s fossil fuel-friendly policies violate residents’ right to a healthy environment. (Daily Montanan)  
• Colorado lawmakers propose eliminating parking minimums, saying it would reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. (KDVR)
• Washington state lawmakers advance bills that would use carbon-auction revenues to buy electric school buses and incentivize utilities and individuals to transition to clean energy. (Crosscut)
• Wyoming lawmakers hold a legislative hearing promoting the belief that climate change isn’t happening, is inconsequential or is beneficial. (WyoFile)

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GRID: Los Angeles’ municipal utility votes to move forward with joining California’s grid operator’s extended day-ahead power market. (RTO Insider, subscription)

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WIND: Oregon commercial fishermen and Indigenous communities criticize the Biden administration’s finalization of wind energy areas off the state’s southern coast, saying the federal agency failed to account for potential impacts. (Oregonian)

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Companies have a smoother road for getting management to greenlight clean energy projects now than they did five years ago, thanks to corporate climate commitments, federal incentives and more.

And if last month’s turnout of more than 800 people for the Greater Cleveland Partnership’s sustainability summit is any guide, businesses want support and guidance on navigating a process that is more compelling yet also more complex than it was years ago. The Jan. 23 program drew twice as many attendees as last year’s inaugural event.

Sustainability “is a major market trend at this point. It’s a massive market opportunity,” said Baiju Shah, president and chief executive officer for the Greater Cleveland Partnership, which is one of the United States’ largest metropolitan chambers of commerce. At the same time, sustainability is crucial if businesses want to stay competitive in a global marketplace, he said.

Roughly a third of the Greater Cleveland Partnership’s largest member companies have pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050, according to Emily Keller, GCP’s manager of sustainability initiatives. And, she added, practically all member companies have committed to some environmental sustainability practices.

Those pledges and goals have an impact when it comes to getting the green light for clean energy projects, especially when companies report on their progress towards environmental, social and governance objectives.

“Explaining an energy efficiency project [to management] or even being able to get a renewable energy project across the finish line five years ago was much different than what it is today,” said Rebecca Karason, the environment and sustainability director for Huntington National Bank. Decisions on three solar arrays for the company were based on economic factors, but a good part of the decision also hinged on the company’s renewable energy commitment, she said.

Ideally, clean energy projects add to businesses’ bottom lines.

“At its core, the development and the analysis of these projects is no different than any other capital project, but it is a complicated process,” said Gino Scipione, whose practice with Cohen & Company centers on compliance and financial reporting.

For any project, “you have to be able to prove at its core that it’s going to return value,” Scipione said. Most projects are capital expenditures, so for accounting purposes they get capitalized and depreciated over time, instead of being treated as an expense for a single year. How much comes from equity versus debt financing affects the calculations, too.

Beyond the general tax considerations that enter into any business deal, companies should also consider if a project can qualify for tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy incentives, Scipione noted. Those reductions in tax liability reduce the total cost for a project. And larger tax credits are available if projects are located in disinvested or energy communities and satisfy other requirements. In some cases, there also may be an opportunity to sell renewable energy credits, or RECs, which can provide income to further offset costs.

All of that, for example, means a company can see savings sooner from an investment in solar energy compared to the costs of otherwise purchasing electricity from the grid.

“The amount of money that I’ve seen in the last two years coming from the federal government is really helping,” said Rishabh Bahel, Nestlé’s manager of energy and sustainability for North America, who is based in Solon, Ohio. The company has announced it plans to power all its operations sites with renewable electricity by 2025, and one of its strategies has been investing in solar farms.

If a project meets enough requirements for the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax credits, “essentially you can get 40 to 50% paid by the government,” Bahel said. “So you have to make sure you’re looking at all the incentives and plans available in the market.”

Energy efficiency is another big emphasis for Nestlé.

“Any time you’re saving energy, you’re saving money,” Bahel said.

Those energy savings cut the costs of production and support the business case for the investment. In contrast, if companies merely pay for carbon offsets, “that really doesn’t have any payback,” he said.

Businesses in disinvested neighborhoods also need the economics of clean energy projects to work, because a company with too much debt won’t succeed, said Michael Jeans, CEO of Growth Opportunity Partners and its GO Green Energy Fund. He and others at Growth Opps often guide companies through the financing process and provide advice to help them make projects succeed.

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Transparency and reporting

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Even as financial incentives boost the business case for clean energy investments, companies also face added compliance requirements for reporting greenhouse gas emissions.

“It’s sort of a carrot and stick,” said Kaitlin Bergan, head of sustainable client solutions for BlackRock’s U.S., Canadian and Latin American team, as she reported on overall trends in industry.

In 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued proposed rules for publicly traded companies to report on climate risks and their contributions to greenhouse gas emissions. The rule will likely be finalized sometime this spring. The European Union already has adopted reporting requirements for some companies. And as Karason sees it, reporting requirements will trickle down even to smaller companies.

Reporting requirements can be a challenge, especially if different customers need data reported in different formats, said attorney Richik Sarkar, Dinsmore & Shohl’s ESG equity partner in Cleveland. Yet as sustainability managers do that, he suggested they also should think about how to explain projects to their companies’ financial officers.

So, Sarkar challenged: “How do you make the business case and explain to them it’s not only a matter of doing good, but it’s a matter of doing well?”

To be sure, not all companies are moving ahead on clean energy projects. About 50 attendees walked out during Bergan’s talk, as a protest against BlackRock’s continuing investments in fossil fuels. And last week, FirstEnergy reneged on its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30% by 2030.

Craig Ickler is an energy democracy organizer for Cleveland Owns, which was among the groups organizing the protest. With BlackRock being an exception, Ickler felt the Greater Cleveland Partnership is “talking about sustainability seriously.” He also wants more involvement of local neighborhoods in energy projects and decisions. “My focus is as much on removing fossil fuels from the energy equation as it is about who’s going to own those clean energy assets and who’s going to benefit from them,” he said.

Emily Bacha, vice president of public affairs for the Ohio Environmental Council, also attended the Jan. 23 conference. She said she saw “real momentum to push forward equity in climate and sustainability strategies” — something she wouldn’t have expected ten years ago.

Now Bacha and others will be watching to see what further strides companies make. “It’s important that we’re not just talking the talk, but walking the walk across all sectors,” she said.

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RENEWABLES: At least 15% of U.S. counties have halted new wind and solar projects through moratoriums, outright bans and construction impediments, making projects harder to build amid new clean energy targets. (USA Today)

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COAL: A newly formed Michigan advocacy group wants a local government to buy a retiring Consumers Energy coal plant along Lake Michigan and keep it operating as a first step to create a municipal utility. (MLive)

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BIOMASS: Two Michigan wood-fired biomass plants are set to close in the coming months as a utility seeks cheaper power options, raising questions about the future of the industry in Michigan. (Crain’s Grand Rapids Business)

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OVERSIGHT:

• A Wisconsin utility regulator who completed her term on Friday is credited with helping to make the agency’s work more accessible and for overseeing a boom in renewable energy investments. (Capital Times)
• A Nebraska lawmaker calls for increased regulation and more local oversight of the use of eminent domain for transmission and pipeline projects. (Nebraska Examiner)

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OIL & GAS: A 2011 Ohio law keeps details about the companies bidding to frack under state parks and wildlife areas confidential. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: DTE Energy proposes a nearly $125 million plan to boost electric vehicle charging in low and moderate-income communities by providing rebates to residents and businesses. (Planet Detroit)

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FINANCE: A group of Wisconsin state pension holders press a state investment board to divest from all fossil fuel-related funds. (Wisconsin Examiner)

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PIPELINES:

• Farmers and landowners put up growing resistance to new pipeline construction, which could spread with carbon dioxide and hydrogen projects as the U.S. aims to cut emissions. (St. Louis Public Radio)
• Iowa’s Senate Republican leader opposes a bill that would let a minority of lawmakers decide whether eminent domain could be used on a pipeline project. (Radio Iowa)

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POLITICS: A nonprofit funded by Michigan’s largest utilities contributed at least $600,000 to three fundraising accounts tied to Michigan Democrats the year before sweeping clean energy laws narrowly passed the legislature. (Detroit News, subscription)

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CARBON CAPTURE: A company hopes its plan to capture carbon emissions from a fertilizer production plant to be stored underground will serve as a model for the industry. (Indianapolis Star)

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SOLAR:

• The USDA grants more than $800,000 to a central Michigan dairy farm to install a 1 MW solar project that will save nearly $135,000 a year in energy costs. (WNEM)
• The municipal airport in Iowa City, Iowa, will receive nearly $450,000 in federal funding for an onsite solar installation. (Daily Iowan)
• Wisconsin expects to receive $149 million in federal Inflation Reduction Act rebates, which construction executives say is already generating interest in solar and geothermal installations. (WisBusiness)

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SOLAR: Duke Energy prepares to offer new rebates in North Carolina for rooftop solar arrays paired with batteries, which along with federal incentives could create a new wave of business for solar installers even after Duke reduced net-metering credits. (Energy News Network)

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ALSO: An Arkansas city board agrees to move forward with development of a 4.9 MW solar farm that officials hope will provide 70% of the power for city operations. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A North Carolina lithium company lays off more than a quarter of its workforce as part of a $10 million cost-cutting plan as lithium prices plummet. (Charlotte Observer)
• Toyota more than doubles its investment in a Kentucky factory to $1.3 billion as it shifts to making more electric vehicles. (Kentucky Lantern)
• The installation of electric vehicle chargers at a Tennessee Waffle House breaks with the national trend of placing chargers at convenience stores or gas stations. (Green Car Reports)

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POLITICS:

• Virginia lawmakers advance legislation to ban utilities from donating to political campaigns after Dominion Energy donated more than $10 million to candidates during last year’s state legislative elections. (WTKR)
• Virginia lawmakers approve a bill to create a new shared solar program for Appalachian Power and expand Dominion Energy’s existing program. (Cardinal News)
• West Virginia lawmakers advance a bill backed by manufacturing industries to block state agencies from using data collected by community air monitoring programs for regulation or enforcement. (Mountain State Spotlight)
• Virginia lawmakers delay for a year their consideration of a bill to allow state regulators to approve large renewable energy projects over the objections of localities, leading to a kerfuffle when a Sierra Club lobbyist says the action will appear on its legislative scorecard. (Cardinal News, Virginia Mercury)

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CARBON CAPTURE: Southeastern Louisiana University deploys four buoys to monitor the ecosystem of a lake where a company wants to inject carbon dioxide captured from a blue hydrogen facility. (The Advocate)

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OIL & GAS:

• The 5.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Oklahoma last week could cause the state to take action against oil and gas drillers after an increase in quakes more than a decade ago led the state to impose similar drilling restrictions. (Associated Press)
• The U.S. saw record-breaking natural gas consumption in January, but federal officials lower production estimates for the first quarter due in part to a partial outage at a facility in Texas. (S&P Global)

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COAL: Private club property owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice will be auctioned off to satisfy more than $300 million in unpaid loans issued by a Virginia bank for the Justice family’s coal, agricultural and hospitality businesses. (Cardinal News)

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ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Community advocates rally to support a historically Black community in Alabama that’s seen repeated flooding problems since the state expanded a nearby highway. (Inside Climate News)

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FINANCE: A multi-month pause in operations by a state-approved clean energy home improvement lender in Florida last year has caused problems for a couple who installed an air conditioning unit but haven’t been able to pay the contractor. (WKMG)

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NUCLEAR: A truck carrying low-level nuclear waste catches fire on Interstate 40 near Nashville, leading to the revelation that up to 75% of low-level radioactive waste in the U.S. goes to Tennessee for processing. (WKRN)

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GRID: Renewable energy developers say they are navigating a complex and congested electric grid in Minnesota to get their generation delivered to customers. (MPR News)

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ALSO: The Biden administration will require some cryptocurrency mining facilities to report their energy use based on grid concerns with the energy-intensive industry. (Inside Climate News)

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POLITICS: Illinois lawmakers who received campaign contributions from utilities deny a quid pro quo for supporting a new Illinois law that lifted the state’s moratorium on new nuclear plant construction. (Journal Star)

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POWER PLANTS: Union members rally in support of a proposed northern Wisconsin gas plant that has divided local residents and elected officials. (Northern News Now)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Starting today, Minnesota residents can apply for a state electric vehicle rebate of up to $2,500 for a new vehicle and $600 for a used vehicle. (MPR News)
• Waning interest in Ford’s F-150 electric truck reflects a broader cooling market for electric vehicle sales, though experts still predict long-term demand to grow. (New York Times, NPR)
• Southeastern Wisconsin local officials approve plans for Rivian’s first service center in the state. (Milwaukee Business Journal, subscription)

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PIPELINES: Northern Iowa county officials share frustrations about not being reimbursed for pre-engineering and other site preparation activities related to a proposed carbon pipeline. (Globe Gazette)

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AIR POLLUTION: The Biden administration’s proposed limits on soot would result in cleaner industrial facilities, power plants and vehicles in Illinois, experts say. (Chicago Tribune, subscription)

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SOLAR: A developer plans 26 community solar projects averaging 3 MW in size that will feature pollinator habitats across Illinois. (PV Magazine)

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UTILITIES: Detroit-based DTE Energy’s CEO predicts the utility will need to build a large Michigan gas plant with carbon capture technology as part of its long-term generation mix. (Crain’s Detroit Business, subscription)

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COMMENTARY: A South Dakota landowner whose property includes a portion of the Dakota Access pipeline issues a warning about carbon pipelines that she says would similarly obstruct property rights. (South Dakota Searchlight)

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POLICY: A Vermont legislative committee advances a bill to increase the state’s utility renewable energy standard to 100% by 2030. (VT Digger)

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ALSO:

• New Hampshire lawmakers consider new taxation avenues amid a timber tax revenue decline attributed to more trees being preserved for carbon credits than logged. (In-Depth NH)
• There currently aren’t enough existing or contracted renewable energy projects underway in New York to help the state reach its 70% renewable power by 2030 goal, in part because of recently canceled offshore wind projects, increased development costs and reduced subsidies. (E&E News, subscription)

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GRID:

• State lawmakers in Maryland, Pennsylvania and other states served by PJM Interconnection file or work on legislation to force utilities to disclose how they vote on grid operator matters. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
• FirstEnergy showcases four development scenarios for a proposed transmission line to residents near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, some of whom say they would rather see the project follow an existing transmission route. (Latrobe Bulletin, Trib Live)

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BUILDINGS:

• New York City has fewer than a dozen staffers to handle the climate law compliance reviews for retrofits required in 50,000 buildings by the end of 2024. (Gothamist)
• Buildings across New York City’s low-lying neighborhoods are facing more sewage backups amid increasing rainfall, but the city is years away from implementing engineering solutions. (The City)

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OFFSHORE WIND:

• BP says it wrote down the value of its American offshore wind business by $1.1 billion last year. (E&E News)
• Two Maryland lawmakers say they intend to file legislation this week to bolster offshore wind development in the state broadly, and boost developer US Wind in particular. (Maryland Matters)
• Rhode Island officials schedule a public comment hearing later this month related to SouthCoast Wind’s pending dredge permit. (news release)

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SOLAR:

• New York energy siting officials for the first time deny an application for a solar farm in Copake because the developer lost the lease for 20% of the proposed project site. (Hudson Valley 360)
• Oxford, Maine, considers a renewable energy project moratorium to figure out how to make up lost revenue after following state law and approving a solar farm’s property tax exemption. (Advertiser Democrat)
• The Connecticut Green Bank raises its funding to $110 million for larger solar projects. (news release)

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CLIMATE: Maine snowmobiling clubs detail how shorter, warmer winters are derailing their enjoyment of their pastime. (Bethel Citizen)

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HYDROGEN: Environmental advocates warn that weakening proposed rules on federal hydrogen tax credits could divert existing clean energy generation to hydrogen production and prolong fossil-fuel-fired generators. (Energy News Network)

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ALSO: The pending federal tax credits, along with nearby wind energy generation, could support hydrogen production in Wisconsin, a clean energy researcher says. (WBAY)

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POWER PLANTS: We Energies wants to build a $1.2 billion natural gas peaker plant on the site of a retiring Lake Michigan coal plant. (Journal Sentinel)

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PIPELINES:

• A federal appeals court hears arguments today in a case involving the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s effort to remove the Line 5 pipeline from tribal land, which could hold broader stakes and lessons for the Biden administration’s clean energy ambitions. (Wisconsin Public Radio, E&E News)
• North Dakota regulators rule that state rules preempt local ordinances restricting pipeline development, clearing the path for a rehearing on a carbon pipeline proposal. (North Dakota Monitor)
• Hundreds of central Illinois residents turn out for a public meeting on a developer’s plan to capture carbon emissions from an ethanol plant and store them deep underground nearby. (WCIA)

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WASTE-TO-ENERGY: Environmental groups propose an expedited timeline to close a Minneapolis trash incinerator by the end of next year, though local officials remain concerned about the trash being sent to landfills. (Star Tribune)

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COAL: The U.S. EPA has detected groundwater contamination from metals and other inorganic compounds at roughly 150 coal ash disposal sites. (Inside Climate News)

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SOLAR:

• A stalled Wisconsin bill that would allow third-party solar ownership and operation is preventing a couple from having a community solar project on their property. (Journal Sentinel)
• An Illinois Democrat sponsors legislation that would increase the distance solar farms could be sited from homes, from 50 feet to 500 feet. (Center Square)

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AIR POLLUTION: All of Minnesota, including the Twin Cities metro area, already complies with the EPA’s new, tighter soot pollution thresholds. (Minnesota Reformer)

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GRID:

• A Missouri Republican, citing grid reliability concerns, proposes legislation that would require utilities to have replacement generation in operation when a power plant closes. (MissouriNet)
• Ameren Illinois deploys mobile command centers designed to speed up grid outage restorations following storms. (KSDK)

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CLEAN ENERGY: Arizona regulators vote to repeal the state’s energy efficiency and renewable portfolio standards, saying the market should guide corporations. (12 News)

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UTILITIES:

• Montana regulators resume a court-ordered environmental review of a proposed natural gas plant, but will only consider light pollution now that a state law banning regulation of carbon dioxide emissions is in effect. (Montana Standard)
• Colorado researchers find the nation’s utilities are decarbonizing faster than regulations require them to, and are transitioning to clean energy even in states without renewable portfolio standards. (Daily Camera)

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OIL & GAS: New Mexico Democratic lawmakers introduce legislation urging regulators to study the risks for people living near oil and gas facilities after well-setback language was stripped from another bill. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

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POLLUTION: California officials expect about half of California’s counties to be out of compliance with the new U.S. EPA standards for fine particulate matter, or soot. (Mercury News)

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SOLAR:

• A Nevada solar-plus-storage installation is set to supply all of the power for this year’s Super Bowl. (CBS News)
• Hawaii lawmakers advance a bill that would reverse regulators’ decision to slash compensation for rooftop solar and battery storage sold back to the grid. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)  
• A Utah lawmaker introduces legislation that would increase compensation for rooftop solar exported back to the grid, saying current credits are “too low and complex.” (KSL)

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ELECTRIFICATION: California, Colorado and Oregon sign an agreement with six other states to promote electric heat pump sales. (Verge)

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TRANSPORTATION: Colorado lawmakers propose overhauling the state’s largest transit agency to better align it with broader housing and climate initiatives. (Daily Camera)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A company prepares to open an indoor electric vehicle charging station and lounge in downtown San Francisco. (Washington Post)
• Sacramento’s city council proposes requiring new gas stations to provide at least one high-voltage direct-current fast electric vehicle charger for every fuel nozzle. (CStoreDecisions)

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GRID:

• A Colorado regulator pushes Xcel Energy to develop a 50 MW virtual power plant with a “prosumer” tariff by the end of this year. (Utility Dive)
• Some California residents criticize Pacific Gas & Electric and other utilities for failing to restore service for several days after a bomb cyclone storm left hundreds of thousands of households without power. (Mercury News)
• Tribal nations in Arizona call on state utility regulators to block further construction on the SunZia transmission line in the southern part of the state, saying it will damage cultural sites. (Gila Herald)

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NUCLEAR: Industry observers predict a slight uptick in domestic uranium mining could give a proposed advanced nuclear reactor in Wyoming a boost. (Wyoming Public Radio)

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MINING: Federal wildlife officials consider extending endangered species protections to a snail found only in springs near the Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada. (news release)

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CLIMATE: Conservationists challenge the federal government’s 2016 management plan for Glen Canyon Dam, saying it failed to consider climate change’s impacts on water levels and hydropower production. (Courthouse News)

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SOLAR: Minnesota community solar developers are retooling their business plans as the state’s program undergoes some of the biggest changes since its launch over a decade ago. (Energy News Network)

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ALSO:

• A once-thriving Detroit neighborhood is among nine under consideration for a large solar project that would power 127 city buildings, but some residents are concerned the projects will drive disinvestment. (Bridge Detroit)  
• A planned 49.9 MW solar project in Dayton, Ohio, wins approval from county officials, allowing construction to start next year. (Springfield News-Sun)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• The Missouri House passes legislation aimed at blocking cities and counties from requiring developers to include charging stations in new construction projects. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• Tribal nations and utilities partner on a $13.4 million project to install EV chargers and distribute vehicles to Upper Midwest tribal fleets. (Utility Dive)

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RENEWABLES: The University of Wisconsin-Madison announces a new campus-wide sustainability plan that includes achieving 100% renewable electricity by 2030. (Wisconsin State Journal)

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PIPELINES:

• Michigan Republican lawmakers send a letter to the U.S. Army Corps urging it to expedite its environmental review of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline. (Up North Live)
• South Dakota lawmakers send a bill to the governor that would require hydrogen pipelines to obtain permits from the state’s utility commission. (Argus Leader)

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NUCLEAR: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s budget proposal seeks another $150 million to help reopen the shuttered Palisades nuclear power plant, but critics say the money would be better spent on energy efficiency, renewable energy, or public transit. (Bridge Michigan)

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MINING: Minnesota Democrats introduce a bill to restrict certain mining practices in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area watershed that the industry says will limit access to essential materials for clean energy. (Minnesota Reformer)

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COAL: DTE Energy schedules demolition dates for its Trenton, Michigan, coal power plant, with the first phase set for March 1. (ClickOnDetroit)

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POLLUTION: Minnesota officials begin the process of implementing the state’s new “cumulative impacts” law for regulating pollution in environmental justice areas, but questions remain about its definitions. (MinnPost)

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CLIMATE:

• Michigan officials share a draft priority climate action plan highlighting opportunities to cut emissions under a federal Inflation Reduction Act grant program. (MLive, subscription)
• Grand Rapids, Michigan, releases a citywide greenhouse gas emissions inventory for 2019, which will serve as the baseline for its climate goals. (WOOD-TV)
• South Dakota lawmakers debate a bill banning the use of aerosols and other chemicals for geoengineering, which critics say could also force the state to crack down pollution from ethanol plants and agriculture. (Dakota Scout)

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BIOFUELS: The Ohio House passes a bill to create a temporary 5 cents per gallon tax credit for sales of E15 and higher ethanol blends. (Crawford County Now)

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COMMENTARY:

• U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa touts the legacy of his 1993 Wind Energy Incentives Act, which established the first wind energy tax credit and helped make Iowa a renewable energy pioneer. (Des Moines Register)
• Analysts predict substantial growth in electric vehicle sales in the coming years as lower priced models come to market, though the timing and rate of growth remains uncertain, a journalist writes. (Inside Climate News)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Virginia lawmaker introduces a budget amendment to use $200,000 to establish a working group to identify sources of long-term state funding for the shift to electric school buses after federal funding runs out. (Energy News Network)

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ALSO:

• Georgia lawmakers advance a bill to block companies that accept state incentives from recognizing unions even as electric vehicle makers flood in and the United Auto Workers seeks to organize the new factories. (Associated Press)
• Mack Trucks announces it will invest $14.5 million into a Virginia factory to make way for “an emerging medium-duty electric truck line.” (Virginia Business)

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ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: The startling disparity between the booming oil and gas industry in Port Arthur, Texas, and the grinding poverty of its mostly Black and brown residents raises hard questions about environmental justice. (Inside Climate News)

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SOLAR:

• The founder of a Georgia pilot program says it’s cracked the code to enable low-income families to go solar in a state that’s been among those most hostile to rooftop solar installations. (Canary Media)
• Virginia lawmakers continue to debate whether localities should be able to ban solar development. (Virginia Mercury)
• West Virginia lawmakers consider three bills to create community solar programs and preserve net metering rates against utilities’ proposal to reduce them to wholesale levels. (WV Metro News)
• Kentucky regulators consider a proposed 125 MW solar farm that faces opposition from residents concerned about property values. (WKDZ)

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WIND:

• Dominion Energy begins construction of transmission lines in Virginia to bring power onshore from its offshore wind farm. (WTKR)
• Conservation groups warn that Louisiana’s idea of allowing wind turbines in shallow, wildlife-rich coastal areas could result in “lethal minefields” for birds. (NOLA.com)
• A judge’s ruling against a wind farm on Osage Nation land stands as an example of how tribal lawsuits will test the Biden administration’s clean energy policies. (E&E News)

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PIPELINES: A surge of muddy runoff that appears to be from a Mountain Valley Pipeline construction site into a normally clear spring leads 29 community and statewide organizations to call on Virginia regulators to issue a stop work order. (Roanoke Times, Augusta Free Press)

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POLITICS: U.S. House Democrats meet in Virginia to discuss how to sell wins from their historic climate law in the upcoming 2024 election when many of the projects have yet to materialize on the ground. (Politico)

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CLIMATE: A Georgia advocacy group organizes teams from congregations and faith organizations across the state to add energy efficiency upgrades and advocate for clean energy, environmental justice and climate action. (WABE)

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COMMENTARY:

• Florida needs to diversify its energy sources because it’s too reliant on natural gas and therefore susceptible to the price fluctuations that come with it, writes the state director of the Environmental Defense Fund. (Invading Sea/Palm Beach Post)
• A Harvard student who grew up in the Permian Basin reflects on its booming natural gas industry and the challenge to ensure the region and its workers are part of the clean energy transition away from fossil fuels. (Harvard Crimson)

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