Good morning! Three large Michigan gas utilities are expected to spend nearly $60 billion on infrastructure projects by 2050. Advocates say the problem with this is twofold: Expanding the gas grid means those who stay on gas in their homes shoulder those costs compared to customers who electrify. Plus, climate targets are tougher to reach by requiring steeper reductions in other sectors, such as industry, that are more difficult to decarbonize, Planet Detroit reports.
TODAY'S TOP NEWS
EMISSIONS
The Trump administration’s plan to eliminate a federal program that funds to clean heavy industry could cost Ohio and Indiana a combined $1.06 billion in economic activity and 5,646 jobs, according to a climate group’s analysis. (Canary Media)
CLIMATE
Minnesota climate researchers and advocates criticize the Trump administration’s move to scale back the National Climate Assessment that relies on hundreds of scientists and has been mandated by Congress since 1990. (Star Tribune)
EFFICIENCY
The Trump administration’s plan to eliminate the Energy Star energy efficiency rating program would upend local climate and decarbonization initiatives in Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan, advocates say. (Planet Detroit)
COAL
Indiana leads 14 coal-producing states in urging a federal judge to deny the Trump administration’s attempt to pause litigation over a Biden era mine safety rule, which the Interior Department says is being replaced with its own version. (Bloomberg Law)
A DTE-owned southeastern Michigan facility that produces coal-fired coke for the steelmaking industry applies to the Trump administration for an exemption from Clean Air Act rules. (Planet Detroit)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Minnesota lawmakers advance a transportation budget that would nearly triple annual surcharges for electric vehicle drivers from $75 to $200. (KAXE)
Wisconsin joins a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration’s effort to cut off billions in federal funding for EV chargers, a move Gov. Tony Evers says is “bad for our infrastructure, it’s bad for our economy, and it’s illegal.” (Wisconsin Examiner)
BATTERIES
Federal appeals court judges hear the first public arguments in a case where the company behind a proposed $2.6 billion Michigan battery plant seeks to force the township to abide by a prior development agreement. (Bridge)
UTILITIES
Michigan regulators will hold a public meeting in Detroit later this month to gather feedback on how they can improve oversight of the state’s utilities. (Detroit Free Press)
WIND ENERGY
Indiana Michigan Power asks state regulators for permission to buy 575 MW of wind energy produced from projects in Indiana and Illinois as part of the utility’s long-term energy plan. (Journal Gazette)
BIOMASS
Officials announce a new biomass processing facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that uses an electric wood grinder to produce high-quality biomass and energy from scrap wood that would have otherwise gone to a landfill. (MLive)
COMMENTARY
Proposed Ohio legislation would strip private landowners’ ability to control whether carbon dioxide is injected and stored beneath their property and raises safety concerns, a retired research chemist writes. (Ohio Capital Journal)
NEW FROM CANARY
Tesla’s grip on the EV sector is slipping in the U.S. and beyond, with analysts blaming its aging model lineup, growing competition, and Elon Musk’s political moves, Dan McCarthy reports.
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