Happy Friday! Another day, another Ohio solar project is rejected. In yet another case of the state’s hostility to utility-scale projects, state regulators have unanimously rejected a 150 MW project outside Canton because of organized opposition from local officials and some neighbors. The developer says it’s uncertain about its next steps and whether it will appeal.
In northern Minnesota, a taconite processor has an unprecedented meeting with tribal officials to work together on mitigating pollution is it pursues green steelmaking.
TODAY'S TOP NEWS
SOLAR
Ohio regulators unanimously reject a developer’s proposed $200 million, 150 MW solar project near Canton because of local opposition. (Canton Repository)
Minnesota regulators reschedule a public hearing on an 85 MW solar project and 2.5-mile transmission line that’s expected to come online in 2027. (KAXE)
HYDROGEN
A northern Minnesota taconite processing company plans to increasingly power its operations with hydrogen and phase out coal, and has been meeting with area tribes to address pollution concerns during the process. (MPR News)
COAL
Residents and local officials raise concerns about the climate and rate impacts of Duke Energy’s plan to convert a western Indiana coal plant to run on natural gas. (WFYI)
NUCLEAR
Nuclear, and perhaps carbon capture and sequestration, will likely be needed for Michigan to reach its net-zero carbon targets in addition to renewables and battery storage, a University of Michigan professor says. (Michigan Public)
The costs of building small modular reactors on the site of a shuttered Michigan nuclear plant that’s expected to reopen would be more expensive under the Trump administration’s tariffs, executives say. (Bloomberg)
PIPELINES
A pipeline developer plans a 208-mile, second phase of a Bakken region gas pipeline that would carry supplies farther east in North Dakota. (S&P Global)
Consumers Energy begins a multi-year, $182 million gas pipeline replacement and upgrade that it says will result in more reliable delivery in southeastern Michigan. (CBS Detroit)
CLIMATE
Websites for more than half of NOAA’s regional climate centers, including offices serving High Plains and Midwest regions, go dark because of a lapse in federal funding. (KTVI)
RENEWABLES
An eastern Michigan health department proposes what appears to be the first county-level health regulations targeting renewable energy that would impose noise and require “visual pollution mitigation.” (Heatmap)
A Michigan union leader says organized labor’s support for clean energy policies and projects has contributed to favorable permitting decisions. (Heatmap)
BIOGAS
Iowa House lawmakers pass a bill to regulate anaerobic digester operations, including requirements for construction permits and compliance with clean air and water laws. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
GRID
A western Michigan city plans to bury a section of electric distribution lines in an effort to improve reliability and make the downtown more visually appealing. (WOOD-TV8)
CLEAN ENERGY
A clean energy-specific job fair held in northern Illinois sought to help employers fill an estimated 5,500 available jobs in the region. (WIFR)
NEW FROM CANARY MEDIA
U.S. EV sales had a solid first quarter and even grew from a year earlier, though the future remains cloudy amid federal targeting of EV incentives, Dan McCarthy reports.
Louisiana regulators undo 14 years of work in voting to scrap an independently operated energy-efficiency program, with one official calling the decision “a punch to the face to all Louisianians who are struggling to pay their bills,” Pam Radtke of Floodlight reports.
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