Midwest emerges as a clean energy manufacturing powerhouse

CLEAN ENERGY: Midwest states have received nearly $30 billion in private investments to boost clean energy manufacturing since Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act in late 2022. (Inside Climate News)

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UTILITIES:

• Critics of an Ohio bill to reform utility ratemaking say it could make it harder for some groups to participate and wouldn’t stop companies from adding charges to bills. (Energy News Network)
• Wisconsin utility We Energies seeks an additional $418.6 million from customers over the next two years to pay for new generation and grid improvements and offset rising labor costs and inflation. (Journal Sentinel)

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POLITICS: Ohio’s HB 6 scandal remains politically fraught for GOP Attorney General Dave Yost, who helped to prosecute four people involved but has ignored questions about his name surfacing in a federal trial and remained silent about the law itself. (Ohio Capital Journal)

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OIL AND GAS: North Dakota’s top oil and gas regulator, Gov. Doug Burgum and former President Trump during an oil and gas event Thursday railed against government regulations’ potential to hold back the industry. (North Dakota Monitor)

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SOLAR:

• Meta signs an agreement with a renewable energy developer to build two Indiana solar projects totaling 210 MW. (ESG Dive)
• A southern Illinois school district inks a 25-year agreement to install solar at three campuses that could save up to $50,000 a year in electricity costs. (WJBD)

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TRANSPORTATION: The influx of electric bikes in Minnesota and elsewhere are challenging cities and transit agencies to improve bike parking, bus bike racks and more. (MinnPost)

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ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Michigan officials announce $12 million more in funding to improve local health, monitor pollution and improve indoor air quality in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. (Michigan Advance)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announces nearly $16 million more for electric vehicle charging stations that moves the state closer to a goal of having public stations available every 50 miles. (WLWT)

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WIND: The supervisor of a northwestern Iowa airport raises concerns about a proposed wind farm’s potential to disrupt helicopter ambulances and other flights. (Radio Iowa)

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STORAGE: Ohio regulators approve plans for an 85 MW battery storage facility outside Dayton. (Daily News)

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NUCLEAR: The company working to reopen a shuttered southwestern Michigan nuclear plant has hired about 150 people since the effort began and now employs more than 360 people at the site. (WOOD-TV8)

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COMMENTARY: An Ohio clean energy advocate says utility-scale solar projects can play a vital role in helping the state meet a forecasted spike in electricity demand. (Columbus Dispatch)

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