Minnesota OKs $1 billion transmission project

Correction: Illinois environmental and consumer advocates launched a $1 million ad buy opposing rate increases for a Peoples Gas pipeline replacement program. An item in Wednesday’s newsletter misstated the size of the ad buy.

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GRID: Minnesota regulators approve permits for a 180-mile, $1 billion transmission line that two utilities say is needed to improve grid reliability as they transition from fossil fuels. (MPR News)

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ALSO:

• ATC plans to move forward with a 7-mile, $30 million transmission project in eastern Wisconsin that opponents say will harm farms and trout streams. (FOX 6)
• Michigan regulators approve a $217 million DTE Energy rate increase that aims to reduce outage frequency and duration. (Detroit Free Press)
• Illinois joins a complaint that seeks to lower PJM’s capacity auction price cap and urges federal regulators to consider options that would bring new power supplies online more quickly. (Utility Dive)

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OHIO: Republican lawmakers introduce a bill that backers say would cut regulations on power produced in the state from nuclear, coal and gas plants to meet growing demand from manufacturing and data centers. (Toledo Blade)

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CARBON CAPTURE: The owner of a large Illinois ethanol plant pursuing an onsite carbon capture project, along with the state’s corn lobby, has contributed millions of dollars to state lawmakers to support carbon capture policies as opponents worry the project could harm a local aquifer. (Investigate Midwest)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• President Trump’s executive order to freeze unspent Inflation Reduction Act funding jeopardizes $38 million in grants for electric vehicle chargers and solar projects in Kansas City, local officials say. (Kansas City Star)
• Ohio’s 15.5 public electric vehicle charging stations per 100,000 residents is far behind leading states and also lags neighboring states Michigan and Pennsylvania. (Axios)

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OIL & GAS:

• Under former Gov. Doug Burgum, who has been tapped by President Trump to lead the Interior Department, North Dakota filed several lawsuits against the department, including an attempt to roll back methane emission rules. (ProPublica/North Dakota Monitor)
• President Trump’s early executive orders to boost fossil fuel extraction and open liquified natural gas exports could increase energy costs for Michigan residents, clean energy experts say. (Planet Detroit)

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SOLAR:

• Michigan was among the most active states for legislative and regulatory action around solar policy in 2024, according to a new report. (Solar Power World)
• Public hearings are scheduled over the coming months for a 2,000-acre solar project planned in central Ohio. (WDTN)

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UTILITIES: Xcel Energy spent the most on lobbying among companies and organizations in Minnesota in 2023, with most of the $1.4 million involving cases before the state Public Utilities Commission. (MinnPost)

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CLIMATE: Dozens of Iowa residents speak out against proposed state science standards that would water down references to climate change in school curriculum. (KCCI)

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NUCLEAR: North Dakota lawmakers consider legislation that would begin to study the potential of small nuclear plants making up a greater share of the state’s power generation. (KXNET)

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