New report details Michigan’s clean energy dominance

CLEAN ENERGY: Michigan has added nearly 21,500 clean energy jobs over the past two years, serving as a national leader in clean energy development after adopting several supportive policies, according to a new report. (Michigan Advance)

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ALSO: A Republican state senator in Iowa resigns from his elected position to become a policy adviser at a Minnesota-based clean energy advocacy group. (Globe Gazette)

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GRID: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is among state leaders in PJM’s territory calling on the grid operator to speed up transmission expansion and comply with new federal regulatory orders. (Inside Climate News)

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ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Minnesota regulators work to establish rules and guidelines for a state law that goes into effect in 2026 and attempts to curb pollution in urban environmental justice areas. (Sahan Journal)

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EMISSIONS: A small northeastern Wisconsin utility plans to reverse its rising emissions by converting boilers at a coal plant to run on renewable fuel pellets made from industrial paper and plastic waste. (WPR)

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PIPELINES:

• A carbon pipeline developer argues in new court briefs that two Iowa counties’ ordinances aiming to restrict the company’s project are superseded by state and federal authorities. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
• Sierra Club representatives join a former Republican Congress member at an Iowa rally opposing carbon pipeline proposals. (Times Herald)

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CLIMATE: Unlike heating mandates, very few regulations exist that require landlords to provide air conditioning to renters, an increasingly dangerous public health problem as heat waves become more frequent and longer. (Vox)

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EFFICIENCY:

• South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has a month to decide whether the state will accept $69 million in federal funding for a home energy efficiency rebate program. (KOTA)
• A formal complaint argues federal regulators should stop grid operator PJM from making energy efficiency capacity payments and recoup past costs because of ineligible resources dating back to 2016. (Utility Dive)

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POLITICS: U.S. Sen. JD Vance, who has been named Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate, has grown increasingly critical of renewable energy and climate change as his home state of Ohio grows its solar industry. (Bloomberg, subscription)

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SOLAR: The U.S. solar industry’s leading trade group issues standards for companies to follow to ensure ethical sales practices as state attorneys general claim companies use deceptive sales tactics to draw business. (E&E News, subscription)

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