Illinois carbon capture leaks spark concerns

CARBON CAPTURE: Recent leaks at an Illinois carbon storage well have raised concerns among some residents and environmental advocates as the Biden administration ramps up funding for what it sees as a key climate tool. (Grist)

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EMISSIONS: The Minneapolis City Council overrides the mayor’s veto of a new fee on large emitters’ carbon emissions after extending the start date and ordering a study to address legal concerns. (Star Tribune)

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INDUSTRY: Low-carbon steel making techniques would help reduce air pollution and climate emissions from coal-based iron making furnaces and coke plants that are concentrated in the Midwest, a new report finds. (Canary Media)

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RENEWABLES:

• The group that organized a ballot initiative against Michigan’s new renewable energy siting law may have violated state campaign finance laws, according to the secretary of state. (Michigan Public)
• While Illinois so far has fallen well short of renewable energy targets, advocates say the state’s new climate law and several planned wind and solar projects signal progress ahead. (Chicago Tribune, subscription)

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COAL:

• Ameren has faced no significant consequences for operating a Missouri coal plant for more than a decade after the U.S. EPA sued it for Clean Air Act violations. (E&E News, subscription)
• An Ameren Missouri coal plant outside St. Louis was the second-highest emitter of carbon dioxide in the country last year, according to EPA data. (KSDK)

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OIL & GAS: Labor advocates say training unionized oil and gas workers to plug orphaned oil and gas wells would help create jobs and economic security for workers in the field. (New Republic)

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EFFICIENCY: A South Dakota rural advocacy group submits a petition calling on Gov. Kristi Noem to reconsider her decision rejecting $69 million in federal funding for home energy efficiency rebates. (South Dakota Searchlight)

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NUCLEAR: Democrats in highly competitive U.S. Senate races embrace nuclear energy as a way to attract center-right voters and provide grid resilience. (HuffPost)

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CLEAN ENERGY:

• A record number of Kansas workers are employed in clean energy, though it still lags every other Midwest state for clean energy’s percentage of the overall workforce, according to a new report. (Capital-Journal)
• While repealing the Inflation Reduction Act appears unlikely, the law’s supporters fear efforts under a Trump administration to constrain or reshape the program’s spending will undermine the law’s goals. (Inside Climate News)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Michigan utility Consumers Energy receives $20 million in federal funding to install AI-powered modules in EV owners’ electric meters to provide real-time analytics on their electricity use. (WOOD-TV8)
• The utility also held an EV test drive over the weekend as a way to demystify the technology for potential buyers. (WOOD-TV8)

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GEOTHERMAL: St. Paul, Minnesota breaks ground on the state’s largest networked geothermal system that will heat and cool buildings as part of a 112-acre redevelopment of a former golf course. (Pioneer Press, subscription)

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