Good morning! As Indiana emerges as a hotbed for data center development, consumer and clean energy advocates want to take a step back to see what that means for fossil fuels and unproven nuclear reactors. Also, an Ohio transit agency that ranks among the top nationally for its hydrogen bus fleet plans to make locally produced fuel under a new partnership.
TODAY'S TOP NEWS
GRID
Indiana consumer and clean energy advocates call for a moratorium on data centers until further study is completed on the potential of rising power costs and the need for new gas plants and small nuclear reactors to meet data centers’ energy demand. (Canary Media)
Clean energy companies and advocates say a PJM plan to speed up the review of “dispatchable” generation projects, most likely gas plants, is unlikely to quickly add much-needed supply and will distort market competition. (Canary Media)
Ameren Missouri announces a five-year, $16 billion plan to invest in transmission as well as gas plants, solar, wind and battery storage to meet projected demand increases. (St. Louis Public Radio)
HYDROGEN
An Ohio transit agency that operates 22 hydrogen fuel-cell buses will partner with Enbridge and an area nonprofit to locally produce solar-powered hydrogen as a way to reduce climate emissions from the supply chain. (Canary Media)
OIL & GAS
Amazon seeks a regulatory exemption for its plan to add 250 diesel-powered emergency generators at a large planned Minnesota data center, drawing criticism from environmental groups and state officials. (Star Tribune)
An Indiana bill would redefine methane gas and propane as green energy and give it the same status as renewables when applying for federal clean energy funding. (Indianapolis Star)
COAL
Iowa environmental groups’ analysis of utility data finds elevated levels of toxic heavy metals in groundwater near four MidAmerican Energy coal plants; the utility says the study is misleading. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
BATTERIES
Residents living near a Missouri battery recycling plant that burned down last October worry about long-term public health consequences. (Missouri Independent)
PIPELINES
Line 5 pipeline opponents in Michigan hope to challenge the project through permits Enbridge is seeking to build a proposed underground tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac. (Michigan Advance)
North Dakota lawmakers vote down six bills that sought to place restrictions on and eliminate tax exemptions for carbon pipeline developments. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
SOLAR
The Trump administration’s effort to pause billions of dollars in clean energy funding jeopardizes a plan in solidly conservative southern Indiana to power hundreds of low- and moderate-income households with solar. (The Guardian)
RENEWABLES
A Republican Missouri lawmaker proposes legislation to nearly triple the tax assessment on agricultural property that is leased for wind and solar projects. (Columbia Missourian)
HYDROELECTRIC
Consumers Energy will take additional time to determine whether to sell, remove or relicense 13 hydropower plants across Michigan, citing the complexity of the transaction. (MLive)
CLEAN ENERGY
Nearly $21 billion in federal funding for clean energy has now been rescinded or frozen in Michigan, which includes loans and grants for energy efficiency rebates, electric vehicle manufacturing and nuclear energy. (Michigan Public)
COMMENTARY
Federal regulators’ decision approving PJM’s plan to essentially fast-track gas-fired power plant projects threatens Illinois’ clean energy targets, an editorial board writes. (Chicago Sun-Times)
On stage: Conversations with clean energy experts, including Rep. Sean Casten of the U.S. Congress, Naomi Davis of Blacks in Green, Kara Demirjian Huss of TCCI Manufacturing, A.J. Patton of 548 Enterprises, David Roberts of Volts, Angela Tovar of the city of Chicago and more to be announced!
Off stage: Drink, eat, and socialize with clean energy leaders, investors, inventors, public leaders, and advocates.
🗓️March 27, 2025, 2:00 - 7:00p.m. CDT
📍 mHUB • 1623 West Fulton Street Chicago, IL 60612
