Xcel Energy says federal tax credit rules jeopardize hydrogen plans

HYDROGEN: Xcel Energy says plans for an Upper Midwest hydrogen hub are jeopardized by proposed federal tax credit rules that would bar utilities from diverting existing clean energy generation to power hydrogen facilities. (Star Tribune)

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SOLAR: A proposed 600 MW solar project outside Lawrence, Kansas, highlights land use debates with utility-scale developments and concerns about removing prime farmland. (Flatland)

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OHIO: Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted refuse to comment so far on the apparent suicide of former regulator Sam Randazzo, who previously had their support and was a key player in the state’s largest corruption scandal in history. (ABC 5)

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CLIMATE: Experts say Chicago’s climate lawsuit against major oil companies is likely to be moved back to local courts ahead of a long legal dispute with deep-pocketed companies. (Chicago Sun-Times)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Michigan is offering millions of dollars in funding to bolster research on recycling materials from electric vehicle batteries. (IPR)
• An Indiana nonprofit research organization hosts a panel discussion on how the electric vehicle transition will affect the state’s auto manufacturing base. (Indiana Public Radio)
• Missouri lawmakers consider creating a $1 billion fund for an incentive program to lure megaprojects like electric vehicle and battery factories to the state. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

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NUCLEAR: Federal regulators will hold a public information meeting next week in Michigan on an unprecedented plan to reopen a shuttered nuclear plant. (MLive)

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COAL: A Congress member from Michigan co-sponsors legislation that backers say would close a loophole in federal law that allows coal companies to skirt mine remediation requirements when they file for bankruptcy. (E&E News, subscription)

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UTILITIES: Ratepayers in northeastern Ohio are set for lower electricity bills this summer as FirstEnergy pays about 27% less for wholesale power at auction this year. (Cleveland.com)

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COMMENTARY:

• U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois says partnering with foreign allies is key to the U.S. leading in alternative fuels and advanced clean energy technologies. (Register Star)
• The executive of Dane County, Wisconsin, says the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act are creating clean energy and economic development opportunities in the state. (Capital Times)

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