Good morning! MISO, which oversees the electric grid across a large portion of the Midwest, is not alone in facing a clogged interconnection process that’s preventing it from swiftly adding new generation to replace coal and keep up with demand. But federal regulators have rejected the organization’s plan to address it by fast-tracking new gas plants, marking a win for clean energy advocates.
Plus, the next article in our series with the Rural News Network is here, and shows how employer-educational partnerships in wind-heavy South Dakota have helped build a clean energy jobs pipeline.
TODAY'S TOP NEWS
GRID
Federal regulators reject MISO’s proposal to fast track new gas generation in a win for clean energy advocates and developers who said the plan would derail clean energy targets and add to reliability problems. (Canary Media)
RENEWABLES
Work opportunities to build, operate, and maintain renewable energy facilities are strong in South Dakota, where 77% of the state’s power comes from non-fossil fuel sources and technical training and scholarships prepare students for jobs. (Canary Media)
WIND
A developer delays plans for a 414 MW wind project in southwestern Minnesota that state officials say is driven in part by economic uncertainty caused by tariffs and inflationary pressure. (MPR News)
FOSSIL FUELS
Indiana’s consumer advocate asks state regulators to reject Duke Energy’s “ill-advised” $3.3 billion plan to retire two coal plants with new gas facilities. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
PIPELINES
South Dakota carbon pipeline opponents expect a provision to be stripped from federal budget negotiations that would allow pipeline developers to bypass state and local permitting. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
SOLAR
Congressional Republicans are poised to repeal federal tax credits that have been in place for decades and have saved homeowners thousands of dollars when installing solar projects. (Grist)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
An Ohio public school trains high school students to build electric vehicles and awards state certifications that can help them land jobs. (Yale Climate Connections)
HYDROELECTRIC
Experts say Michigan has failed to make significant improvements in dam safety, including for some facilities that generate renewable energy, after a catastrophic dam failure incident five years ago. (MLive)
OVERSIGHT
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds appoints a new chairperson to the state’s Utilities Commission who previously backed construction permits for a carbon pipeline that allowed the developer to use eminent domain. (Des Moines Register)
COMMENTARY
The Ohio Supreme Court is considering a case that would effectively give local officials veto power over renewable energy project permits and make it easier for fossil fuel interests to block projects, a clean energy advocate writes. (Ohio Capital Journal)
A recent ice storm that crippled northern Michigan’s power grid for weeks is a warning of what’s to come if utilities don’t prepare for extreme weather expected from climate change, a clean energy organizer writes. (Bridge)
NEW FROM CANARY
A new American Clean Power reports clean energy manufacturing supports 122,000 jobs and creates $33 billion of economic activity annually, largely in Trump-voting states, Julian Spector reports.
Canary Media is an independent, nonprofit newsroom covering the transition to clean energy and solutions to the climate crisis. Donate to support us.
