Ohio companies are advancing clean energy projects

RENEWABLES: Corporate climate commitments along with federal incentives are helping get clean energy projects off the ground, panelists say at a Cleveland event. (Energy News Network)

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ALSO:

• Madison, Wisconsin, school board officials say updating district buildings to meet a 100% renewable energy target by 2040 would focus on electric heating and cost roughly $1 billion. (State Journal)
• Two central Minnesota counties approve one-year moratoriums on renewable energy projects as plans for a high-voltage transmission line spur interest in wind and solar. (Inforum)

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PIPELINES:

• The FBI began tracking Native American opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline as early as 2012 as part of a sweeping law enforcement strategy to counter civil disobedience aimed at fossil fuels. (Grist)
• A federal trial begins this week in North Dakota to determine whether the U.S. government will reimburse the state for emergency response costs related to Dakota Access pipeline protests. (KNOX)
• Tribal leaders appear at a federal courthouse in Chicago to challenge Enbridge’s attempts to keep Line 5 operating and build a tunnel under the Great Lakes. (WBEZ)

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GRID: Iowa Republicans for the second time advance a bill to give incumbent utilities first rights to build transmission lines, criticizing a state Supreme Court ruling that blocked lawmakers’ previous attempt. (Des Moines Register)

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UTILITIES: Michigan regulators issue several new orders to establish a framework for utilities to comply with new energy laws that include higher clean energy targets and energy storage requirements. (MLive)

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OHIO:

• Two former FirstEnergy executives and the state’s former top utility regulator plead not guilty to charges filed this week for their alleged roles in a $60 million bribery scheme that resulted in favorable legislation for the company. (Associated Press)
• This week’s indictments accuse the former regulator, Sam Randazzo, of illegally skimming millions of dollars from settlements that utilities paid to companies he represented. (Cleveland.com, subscription)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: An oil and gas lobbying group aims to engage voters by taking out an ad during the Super Bowl in key swing states accusing the Biden administration of forcing people into buying electric vehicles. (Detroit News)

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EFFICIENCY: Michigan regulators approve a settlement agreement that will require Consumers Energy to increase energy efficiency investments in communities most affected by high energy burdens. (Michigan Advance)

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SOLAR:

• A Wisconsin Republican lawmaker says the state will likely pass community solar legislation at some point but concedes it’s unlikely to be this session. (WisBusiness)
• A northeastern Ohio township holds an informational meeting on the benefits and drawbacks of solar as surrounding townships ban projects. (WKBN)

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AIR POLLUTION: A Detroit neighborhood will install six air quality monitors to provide data that residents hope will force city leaders to take action. (WDIV)

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CLIMATE: Teenage climate activists call on Wisconsin’s attorney general to sue fossil fuel companies for their role in contributing to climate change. (WKOW)

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