Advocates fear hydrogen tax credits could prolong fossil fuels

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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