How to get building owners to pay attention to energy use

BUILDINGS: The city of Indianapolis grapples with how to boost compliance with a mandatory energy benchmarking program for large buildings after most owners missed a deadline this summer. (Energy News Network)

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ALSO: Ohio and Kansas are among the latest states to apply for federal money for home electrification rebates and tax credits — funding that is considered at risk under the incoming Trump administration. (Canary Media)

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GRID: Michigan lawmakers pass legislation that would offer tax breaks to large data centers, which critics say would undermine the state’s climate goals and burden utility ratepayers. (Planet Detroit)

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PIPELINES:

• An Enbridge pipeline leaked 70,000 gallons of oil last month in southeastern Wisconsin, the worst oil spill in the state’s history. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• A coalition of environmental groups formally challenges Wisconsin’s decision to issue permits for re-routing Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline. (Wisconsin Examiner)

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OIL & GAS: Ohio’s General Assembly passes legislation that would lengthen fracking leases in state parks and wildlife areas and define nuclear power as “green energy,” sending the bill to the governor’s desk. (Ohio Capital Journal)

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CARBON CAPTURE: Michigan environmental groups say carbon capture legislation advancing in the state Senate lacks safeguards for water, air quality, and public safety, and could increase emissions and local pollution. (Planet Detroit)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Michigan receives $4.4 million in federal funding to deploy 15 electric recycling trucks along with charging stations in three southeastern counties. (Michigan Advance)  

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SOLAR: A utility and developer have recently revived three once-stalled solar projects in Minnesota and North Dakota. (In Forum)

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GEOTHERMAL: Chicago and Ann Arbor, Michigan, are selected to receive about $10 million each in federal funding for community-scale geothermal heating and cooling projects. (Utility Dive)

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CLIMATE: Lake Michigan surface temperatures peaked at over 6 degrees above normal last month, highlighting how fossil-fuel-driven climate change has made the Great Lakes among the fastest-warming lakes in the world. (Chicago Tribune)  

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COMMENTARY: Ohio’s Oil and Gas Land Management Commission sells out Appalachian Ohio to the highest bidder, allowing corporate interests to ravish the region for private benefit, an editorial board member writes. (Cleveland.com)

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