Minnesota lawmakers look to reform energy permitting

CLEAN ENERGY: Renewable energy and transmission permitting reforms will be a key focus for Minnesota lawmakers this session in an effort to hit long-term clean energy targets. (Star Tribune)

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OIL & GAS:

• A new analysis of federal data finds as many as 11,446 natural gas storage wells across the U.S. could have a single barrier to failure, a key risk that could result in major methane leaks. (Floodlight)
• Cleanup is underway of a 300-barrel oil spill in North Dakota following a tank leak caused by recent extreme weather. (Bismarck Tribune)

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FINANCE: Minnesota leaders plan to launch the state’s green bank this year with $45 million in starting funds to help finance clean energy and climate projects. (Sahan Journal)

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WIND: North Dakota’s top utility regulator questions Verizon’s purchase of power from a proposed 200 MW wind project, saying the company doesn’t need it and is merely trying to “get environmental activists off their backs.”  (North Dakota Monitor)

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SOLAR: An energy justice cooperative is selected to develop three community solar projects around Chicago that backers say will help lower energy costs for low- and moderate-income communities. (Inside Climate News)

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POLITICS: Vulnerable Democrats in swing states call on the Biden administration to dial back plans to slash power plant pollution, boost electric vehicle sales and pause natural gas exports. (Bloomberg)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Higher vehicle costs and a lack of charging stations remain key barriers for Minnesota school districts interested in electric buses. (MPR News)
• An electric yard truck producer moves into a new 400,000-square-foot facility in Kansas City, where it expects to produce nine times the amount of vehicles than at its previous facility. (Kansas City Business Journal)

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MINING: South Dakota legislation would bring the state closer to reopening uranium mining, which environmental advocates say has left a legacy of polluted waterways. (KEVN)

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CLIMATE: If a Biden administration review finds that liquefied natural gas exports are a significant driver of climate change, it could lead to a permanent ban on the practice. (E&E News)

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CARBON CAPTURE: Summit Carbon Solutions reaches an agreement with a major biofuel producer that would add 17 ethanol plants to the developer’s proposed carbon pipeline in Iowa and South Dakota. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

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TRANSPORTATION: Officials in Springfield, Missouri, consider a host of short and long-term recommendations to improve its local transit system. (Daily Citizen)

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