Discover the Latest News and Initiatives for a Sustainable Future

GEOTHERMAL: Boston’s mayor briefly mentions a major new utility project in her State of the City speech: the city’s first networked geothermal heating and cooling system, to be developed by National Grid in the Franklin Field neighborhood. (WCVB)

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BUILDINGS: In her annual speech, Boston’s mayor also announced a new program to ban new city-owned buildings from using fossil fuels. (Boston Globe)

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GRID:

• Power outages across the Northeast are now down to around 85,000 as residents begin recovering from flooding and other related emergencies. (PowerOutage.US, Connecticut Public Radio, Delaware County Daily Times)
• With snow in the forecast, worries increase for the thousands of customers without power in New York’s Jefferson County and the immediate region. (Syracuse.com)

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FOSSIL FUELS: PJM Interconnection wants Talen Energy to postpone the planned decommissioning of two units at a 840 MW coal, oil and gas-fired Maryland power plant, citing pending transmission upgrades. (POWER Magazine)

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CLEAN ENERGY:

• New York’s governor describes her vision for the state’s clean energy transition in her annual State of the State address, but some stakeholders say the plans need to better incorporate equity for nearby communities. (CBS Albany)
• Power utility Public Service Enterprise Group raised its five-year regulated capital spending plan for clean energy and grid projects to $21 billion. (news release)

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OFFSHORE WIND: A Rhode Island senator proposes a new federal bill to clarify and streamline the offshore wind development pipeline process. (ecoRI)

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REGULATION:

• The president and chief executive officer of United Illuminating says Connecticut’s regulators are creating a hostile environment that is delaying current projects and limiting future investment appetite. (Hartford Business Journal)
• Massachusetts regulators kick off an inquiry to examine rate affordability for low-to-moderate-income bill payers and whether other models could reduce the energy burden. (RTO Insider, subscription)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Federal funds will help five Pennsylvania school districts to purchase 120 school buses powered with clean energy. (WESA)
• Boston-based rental car company Zipcar plans to double its electric vehicle fleet this year, including in Boston and New York City. (Boston Globe)

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CLIMATE: Maine’s state climatologist says climate change is the main reason every season over the last century has seen more precipitation. (Portland Press Herald)

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TRANSITION: An energy company’s plan to build an 800 MW solar farm on a 27,000-acre mountaintop removal mine site in Kentucky could become a model to repurpose environmentally disturbed sites in Appalachia for renewables. (Daily Yonder)

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ALSO: Federal investigators will look into Appalachia’s “zombie mines,” where coal production has ceased but which companies say are “active” to avoid reclamation costs. (Inside Climate News)

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GRID:

• Soaring demand, forecasts of a polar vortex and memories of grid struggles during winter storms in recent years create uncertainty about the reliability of Texas’ power grid headed into winter storm season. (Houston Chronicle)
• Texas grid officials say there’s plenty of power to meet energy demand during next week’s anticipated arctic cold front, though experts warn of the potential for record-breaking demand. (Austin American-Statesman)
• Tennessee Valley Authority officials tout the utility’s investments in weatherization and grid reliability since a 2022 cold snap forced it to implement rolling blackouts across the Southeast. (WATE)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Electric vehicle maker Canoo ramps up activity at two Oklahoma plants as it adds jobs and makes the first vehicles in a 1,000-vehicle order by the state. (Daily Journal)
• Tesla promises raises for factory workers this year as the United Auto Workers try to organize unions at its assembly and battery factories in Texas, California and Nevada. (Associated Press)

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SOLAR:

• Texas’ plans to build 38 GW of new solar over the next five years are threatened by concerns about Chinese labor practices and supply chain traceability. (Dallas Morning News)
• A renewables company begins operating a solar farm in Texas. (PV Tech)

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OIL & GAS:

• Chesapeake Energy and Southwestern Energy will merge to form one of the largest natural gas companies in the U.S., with plans to build a liquified natural gas facility in Houston. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
• Texas officials continue to investigate the cause of an explosion at a high-rise hotel in Fort Worth, but one person already has sued the local natural gas provider, and concerns about another potential gas leak led to an emergency call in Dallas. (Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

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CLIMATE:

• Record numbers of Texans have died from heat-related causes for three years running, including at least 334 people in 2023. (Texas Tribune)
• About 100,000 residents in the Miami metro area will see a 35% discount in their flood insurance premiums because of a shift in how federal officials assess flood risk in the area. (Miami Herald)
• Louisiana escaped severe hurricanes for the second year in a row, and avoided the five-day forecast cone throughout the entire season. (NOLA.com)

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UTILITIES: Arkansas power and natural gas utilities respond to state regulators’ questions about their plans to use federal funding for energy efficiency and grid infrastructure projects. (Arkansas Business)

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POLITICS: Activists wielding leaf blowers gather outside the Virginia Capitol to lobby for legislation that would let local governments regulate gas-powered blowers. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

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COMMENTARY: An environmental justice advocate calls for pop star and real estate developer Pharrell Williams to consider the risk of climate gentrification to nearby Black neighborhoods as he moves forward with projects in coastal Virginia. (Daily Press)

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Community solar could be an important tool to lower electricity bills and bring clean energy to low-income communities. But even as federal incentives aim to lower the cost of building community solar arrays, big issues still stand in the way, advocates tell the Energy News Network.

When a community solar array is built, people in the area can sign up to receive electricity that’s often cleaner and cheaper than what they’d get from their utility. It’s ideal for residents who can’t put solar on their own roofs because of installation costs or other reasons.

Incentives introduced under the Inflation Reduction Act aim to boost community solar, with extra tax credits slated for arrays that benefit low-income people and areas. But it’s not easy to qualify a household as low-income. The process varies from state to state, but it often requires that people provide tax returns and other documentation to prove their income — something that could make customers reluctant to buy in.

Federal law does try to tackle this problem by letting LIHEAP eligibility count as a measure of eligibility for low-income community solar bonuses. The low-income heating assistance program has been around for decades, so it’s more familiar to many people. States can also designate whole areas as low-income to smooth the process.

Read more about the challenges holding up community solar, plus some solutions that are rolling out, at the Energy News Network.

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More clean energy news

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🚌 New school: The U.S. EPA announces nearly $1 billion in grants for schools to replace diesel buses with electric and low-emissions vehicles, with a vast majority going to schools in low-income, rural and tribal communities. (Guardian)

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⚡ The grid’s big year: 2024 could be a make-or-break year for lawmakers, regulators and utilities to push through federal reforms aimed at making it quicker and easier to expand the power grid. (Canary Media)

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💰 What’s stopping decarbonization: Upfront cost is the biggest barrier keeping people from making home energy upgrades like swapping out gas stoves, while lowering energy costs and environmental impact is a top motivator, a survey finds. (Canary Media)

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🔋 The sunshine neighborhood: Every residence in an 86-home Florida development comes with solar panels and a home battery, ensuring none of its homeowners pay electric bills and offering a model for sustainable building. (Washington Post)

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☀️ Solar tax swap: First Solar enters two deals to sell $700 million worth of federal tax credits, a first-of-its-kind transaction that will let the U.S. solar panel manufacturer quickly bring in money from domestic production incentives it could otherwise only use to trim its tax bill. (Canary Media)

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🚙 Big cars, big emissions: Several automakers’ average fuel efficiency dropped from 2017 to 2022, largely because of the growing popularity of SUVs and pickup trucks. (Washington Post)

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🔌 The EV incentives list is here: The federal government published a list of electric vehicles that qualify for $7,500 and $3,750 incentives, which can now be redeemed at thousands of dealerships. (Inside Climate News)

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🏗️ Gas bans meet their end: A federal appeals court reaffirms its decision to strike down Berkeley, California’s ban on gas hookups in new buildings, invalidating other local gas bans in the 9th Circuit’s territory of 11 Western states. (Grist)

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🥾 Electrifying tourism: An Alaska carbon offset program uses tourists’ donations to purchase electric heat pumps for local residents. (Grist)

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EQUITY: Low-income households could benefit most from clean energy upgrades such as heat pumps and solar panels but often don’t have access to financing or government incentives. (New York Times)

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SOLAR: The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts 79 GW of new solar capacity will come online through the end of 2025, potentially making it the top source of power growth over the next two years. (Utility Dive)

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STORAGE: Federal analysts also predict energy storage on the grid will nearly double this year, from 17.3 GW now to 31.1 GW by December. (Canary Media)

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OIL & GAS:

• While environmental groups see a new federal rule as a major opportunity to cut methane emissions, officials in oil- and gas-producing states see burdensome regulations that won’t move the emissions needle. (States Newsroom)
• Advocates and investors question the sustainability claims of a growing Colorado oil and gas company that bills itself as the state’s “first carbon-neutral energy producer.” (Capital & Main)

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HYDROGEN: The Biden administration’s proposed hydrogen incentive rules place strict emissions limits on green hydrogen producers but lack standards for natural gas-sourced blue hydrogen. (Canary Media)

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COAL:

• An energy company’s plan to build a solar farm on a mountaintop removal mine site in Kentucky could become a model to repurpose environmentally disturbed sites in Appalachia for renewables. (Daily Yonder)
• Federal investigators will look into Appalachia’s “zombie mines,” where coal production has ceased but which companies say are “active” to avoid reclamation costs. (Inside Climate News)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• The House joins the Senate in voting to overturn a Biden administration waiver that lets electric vehicle chargers made with foreign steel and iron still qualify for federal funding, though a veto is expected. (The Hill)
• Hertz will sell 20,000 of its electric rental cars, citing higher prices to repair damage to EVs, despite its goal to convert 25% of its fleet to electric by the end of 2024. (Reuters)
• Tesla promises raises for factory workers this year as the United Auto Workers try to organize unions at its assembly and battery factories in Texas, California and Nevada. (Associated Press)

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CLIMATE: Climate-fueled storms, flooding and rising sea levels are bound to drive coastal U.S. residents inland, but elderly people are likely to be left behind, a study finds. (Grist)

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POLITICS: The planned departure of several longtime U.S. House and Senate members who have played key roles in energy policy raises concerns about brain drain with the loss of their institutional knowledge on issues. (E&E News)

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COMMENTARY: A clean energy columnist calls on journalists to stop sensationalizing clean energy-related bird deaths, pointing to a study finding oil and gas drilling is more harmful to avians than wind turbines. (Los Angeles Times)

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NATURAL GAS: An energy company shutters a natural gas power plant in southern California after a city lobbies for decades to have it decommissioned.   (Daily Breeze)

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ALSO:

• New Mexico advocates and residents push back on a proposed natural gas storage facility on the outskirts of Rio Rancho, a city in the central part of the state. (KRQE)
• A Colorado group raises millions of dollars from the fossil fuel industry to fund a campaign to block natural gas hookup bans in homes and businesses. (CPR)

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OIL & GAS:

• A peer-reviewed study details how oil and gas drilling shrinks imperiled sage grouse habitat in Wyoming, while also guiding efforts to protect the bird from development. (WyoFile)
• New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham proposes spending part of an oil and gas-generated budget surplus on affordable housing, public education and electric vehicle and low-emission truck incentives. (Associated Press)

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BIOFUELS: Portland, Oregon, approves three proposed biodiesel pipelines at a fossil fuel terminal on the Willamette River as part of a company’s agreement to phase out crude oil storage at the facility. (Oregonian)

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POLLUTION:

• Democratic federal lawmakers from Arizona and Montana urge the Biden administration to back off on plans to limit power plant greenhouse gas emissions that could lead to coal facility closures. (Billings Gazette)
• Alaska joins 20 other Republican-led states in a lawsuit aimed at blocking a Biden administration rule requiring states to set vehicle carbon emission reduction targets. (Anchorage Daily News)

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SOLAR: California advocates ask an appeals court to rehear their challenge of the state’s new net-metering policy slashing compensation for energy generated by rooftop solar. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

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CLIMATE: A federal report finds the waters off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands registered the warmest winter temperatures in over a century, making the ecosystem a “bellwether for climate change.” (Alaska Beacon)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Federal labor regulators accuse California electric vehicle startup Lucid of illegally firing two employees for joining the United Auto Workers union. (Los Angeles Times)

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URANIUM: The federal Bureau of Land Management permits a uranium mining company to begin exploratory drilling just outside Bears Ears National Monument in southern Utah. (Mining Technology)

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PUBLIC LANDS: The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on a proposal to lift some environmental protections from 28 million acres in Alaska. (Nome Nugget)

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COMMENTARY: A California energy columnist urges readers to see the world through “climate-colored goggles” because human-caused global warming is pressing, immediate and terrifying. (Los Angeles Times)

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HYDROGEN: The Treasury Department’s new hydrogen tax credit guidelines appear to favor Texas and states in the Midwest and Southwest, where wind and solar can be built quickly and cheaply. (Canary Media)

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ALSO: The new hydrogen incentive rules raise questions about how the federal government will measure the industry’s emissions and account for the use of nuclear power and carbon capture in hydrogen production. (E&E News)

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SOLAR: First Solar enters two deals to sell $700 million worth of tax credits, a first-of-its-kind transaction that will let the U.S. solar panel manufacturer quickly bring in money from the federal domestic production incentives it could otherwise only use to trim its tax bill. (Canary Media)

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WIND:

• Vineyard Wind announces it has begun delivering a fraction of its nameplate capacity to Massachusetts’ grid, a historic milestone that comes later than expected. (State House News Service, NBC Boston)
• Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities build the first utility-scale wind turbine in Kentucky to test the potential for wind power in the state. (Kentucky Lantern)

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STORAGE:

• The U.S. commercial and industrial markets for energy storage are vastly underdeveloped and could be poised for major growth in the coming years as more states set capacity targets. (Solar Power World)
• Large-scale battery developers should focus on long-term contracts and guaranteed revenue streams to secure their financial viabilities, a report suggests. (Utility Dive)

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CLIMATE: A judge rejects a U.S. Justice Department bid to dismiss an Oregon youths’ lawsuit alleging federal policies contribute to human-caused climate change, allowing the case to move forward. (OPB)

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CARBON CAPTURE: Communities across south Louisiana organize to oppose at least 20 underground carbon dioxide storage projects in the planning or development stages that also include a sprawling network of pipeline expansions. (Floodlight/WWNO)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Georgia saw a surge of electric vehicle and battery-related investment in 2023, driven by ongoing construction at Hyundai’s electric vehicle factory and amplified by federal funding and tax credits. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Savannah Tribune)

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OIL & GAS: New Mexico lawmakers consider legislation that would ban new oil and gas drilling and phase out most existing production within one mile of schools and daycare centers. (Associated Press)

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EFFICIENCY:

• Southern Maine communities collaborate on a pilot program to help residents overcome cost and logistical barriers to accessing climate-friendly home energy efficiency upgrades. (Energy News Network)
• An Alaska carbon offset program uses tourists’ donations to purchase electric heat pumps for local residents. (Grist)
• The U.S. Energy Department finalizes new efficiency standards for home refrigerators and freezers, which they estimate will save consumers $36 billion over 30 years. (Utility Dive)

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WIND: Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities build a utility-scale wind turbine in Kentucky to test the potential for wind power in the state. (Kentucky Lantern)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A former employee says hiccups and missteps in VinFast’s efforts to build a North Carolina electric vehicle factory represent an impulsive startup that often prioritizes moving quickly over moving deliberately. (News & Observer)
• Georgia saw a surge of electric vehicle and battery-related investment in 2023, driven by ongoing construction at Hyundai’s electric vehicle factory and amplified by federal funding and tax credits. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Savannah Tribune)
• As North Carolina crests 80,000 electric vehicle registrations, a Finnish EV charging company opens a plant in Durham to meet anticipated demand. (WTVD)
• Tennessee’s annual registration fee for electric vehicles doubles from $100 to $200. (WZTV)

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SOLAR:

• A solar company prepares for a hearing with a Virginia county board about its proposed 3 MW solar farm even after a planning commission recommends against it. (Farmville Herald)
• Florida Power & Light’s $212 million purchase of a 40,000-acre ranch for what could be Florida’s largest solar farm ranks as one of the state’s top real estate buys in 2023. (Orlando Sentinel)
• A Presbyterian church camp becomes one of the first in Alabama to install a solar power system. (Bham Now)

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CARBON CAPTURE: Communities across south Louisiana organize to oppose at least 20 underground carbon dioxide storage projects in the planning or development stages that also include a sprawling network of pipeline expansions. (Floodlight/WWNO)

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OIL & GAS:

• A company closes on its $2.2 billion purchase of oil and gas assets on 44,000 acres in the Permian Basin. (Carlsbad Current Argus)
• Pipeline company Williams spends nearly $2 billion to buy a pipeline network and six underground storage facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi. (Offshore Technology)

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GRID:

• A pair of companies propose building a 400-mile transmission line to connect Texas’ power grid with Louisiana and Mississippi in a way that still allows Texas to sidestep federal oversight. (Dallas Morning News)
• The Florida Supreme Court sets a February date to hear arguments over storm-protection plans for Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy, Tampa Electric and Florida Public Utilities. (Tampa Free Press)

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CLIMATE: A federal report on damage done by 2022’s Hurricane Ian finds newer homes survive better than older homes, with newer roofs as the single most important upgrade in damage assessments. (Miami Herald)

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CLEAN ENERGY: A South Korean electronics company announces it will invest $700 million into West Virginia to develop renewable energy, telehealth and other technologies. (Associated Press)

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HYDROGEN: Newly proposed rules governing development of the “green hydrogen” industry appear to favor Texas and states in the Midwest and Southwest, where wind and solar can be built quickly and cheaply. (Canary Media)

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ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: The U.S. EPA awards $50 million to environmental and climate justice organizations from New Orleans and Houston to reduce greenhouse gases and clean up their communities. (Verite News)

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OVERSIGHT: Louisiana Gov.-elect Jeff Landry names an oil and gas industry executive to head up the state’s Department of Natural Resources. (NOLA.com)

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WORKFORCE: A Texas nonprofit trains workers for the solar industry as part of its mission of “disrupting poverty through green career training.” (Dallas Free Press)

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COMMENTARY: Louisiana is gearing up for a legal fight against a federal policy that could dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions even as the state tries to preserve its coastline against rising seas, writes a columnist. (NOLA.com)

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OIL & GAS: A $25 million federal grant allowed Michigan to plug 200 orphaned oil and gas wells in 2023, nearly half of all known orphaned wells in the state. (MLive)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: Youngstown, Ohio, officials halt plans for a facility that would convert recycled tires into synthetic gas in a neighborhood of predominantly Black residents. (Inside Climate News)

PIPELINES:

• Upcoming decisions on the Summit Carbon Solutions carbon pipeline and the Dakota Access pipeline loom large for North Dakota’s energy sector in 2024. (North Dakota Monitor)
• South Dakota county officials advance recommendations for creating carbon pipeline regulations, saying the ordinance should give regulators the ability to waive setback requirements and to consider how projects would economically impact livestock. (Sioux Falls Live)

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GRID:

• 2024 could be a make-or-break year for lawmakers, regulators and utilities to push through major federal grid reforms to speed up the pace of transmission construction. (Canary Media)
• Engineers say upgrading inverters on the U.S. power grid is crucial to support the anticipated growth in variable power sources from wind and solar. (Utility Dive)

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SOLAR: Officials in southern Illinois advance plans to purchase a vacant, 123-acre cemetery that’s owned by the state for a solar project. (FOX 2)

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RENEWABLES: Indiana-based NiSource sells a minority stake in its utility NIPSCO for $2.16 billion that executives say will help the utility invest in more renewables. (Times of Northwest Indiana)

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COAL: The owner of North Dakota’s largest coal plant, which is set to close in the coming years, expands a partnership to recycle more byproducts from coal burning for future uses. (Bismarck Tribune)

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OVERSIGHT: The U.S. Supreme Court and federal district courts are weighing several cases this year that could significantly limit federal energy regulators’ ability to oversee climate and infrastructure policy. (E&E News)

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WIND: Consumers Energy begins operating a 72-turbine, 201 MW wind project in central Michigan. (FOX 17)

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EMISSIONS: A northern Michigan city hopes to reduce its local methane emissions by enrolling more restaurants in a composting program that diverts food waste from landfills. (WDIV)

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UTILITIES: Minnesota utilities continue seeking rate increases for grid investments and clean energy as inflation on services remains stubborn for consumers. (Star Tribune)

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HYDROGEN: The Biden administration releases guidance for its hydrogen tax credit, though industry leaders say the rules go too far in prioritizing low- and zero-emission hydrogen production and will slow growth. (E&E News, Utility Dive)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• New federal incentives for electric vehicles take effect this year, allowing buyers to instantly access up to $7,500 toward a new EV and $4,000 toward a used one instead of waiting for a tax refund. (Grist)
• While electric vehicle sales are still growing, that rate has slowed in the past few months, and some high-profile models have proved slow to sell. (E&E News)

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SOLAR: Solar advocates in Georgia and elsewhere embrace federal funding for programs to reduce energy bills by making solar power affordable for lower-income households. (WABE/Grist)

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CLEAN ENERGY:

• A coalition of regional groups uses a $10 million federal grant to recruit more than 1,000 small and medium manufacturers for the growing clean energy economy in five Appalachian states. (Energy News Network)
• Advocates credit a small northern New Mexico electric cooperative with paving the way for other rural utilities to ditch fossil fuels. (High Country News)

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CLIMATE:

• As 2023 becomes the hottest year on record, scientists predict its extreme temperatures will soon become normal and that 2024 will be even hotter than last year. (Axios, Washington Post)
• Cooperative ownership opens mobile home park residents up to clean energy solutions, including solar installations and energy efficiency upgrades that private landowners are often reluctant to undertake. (Grist)

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EMISSIONS:

• Climate analysts predict 2023 may have marked the global peak of fossil fuel emissions from energy use. (Guardian)
• Truck engine manufacturer Cummins agrees to pay $1.6 billion to the federal government over allegations it installed devices to cheat emissions controls on its engines.

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PIPELINES: A proposed carbon pipeline in the Midwest divides ethanol industry supporters and farmers who say they feel betrayed by the company’s potential use of eminent domain to build the project. (South Dakota Searchlight)

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GRID:

• Federal regulators conclude Texas should reduce its reliance on natural gas to avoid power outages like those that nearly caused the state grid to collapse in a 2021 winter storm. (Houston Chronicle)
• Researchers find the Pacific Northwest is susceptible to sudden drops in solar and wind production, but the impacts would be less severe than in other regions due to an abundance of hydropower. (OPB)

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LITHIUM: The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony looks to build coalitions and garner public support — rather than file lawsuits — to fight the Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada. (Associated Press)

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RESILIENCY: Although Massachusetts wants more municipalities to undertake climate resiliency projects, they say securing state funds to do so isn’t easy. (Boston Globe)

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BUILDINGS: Maine’s heat pump market is already thriving, but new federal subsidies targeting low-income homeowners could further spur its growth. (Portland Press Herald)

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CLEAN ENERGY: A $10 million federal grant will support economic development efforts in Ohio and neighboring states to help lure small- and medium-sized manufacturers specializing in the clean energy supply chain. (Energy News Network)

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CO2 PIPELINES:

• Some Iowa first responders say they lack proper equipment to safely carry out rescue operations in the case of a major carbon pipeline rupture. (Inside Climate News)
• A proposed carbon pipeline divides ethanol industry supporters and farmers who say they feel betrayed by the company’s potential use of eminent domain to build the project. (South Dakota Searchlight)

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OHIO: The former FirstEnergy subsidiary that was to receive the bulk of a ratepayer-funded bailout for two of its nuclear plants says it acted in a “legal way” to help get House Bill 6 passed. (Ohio Capital Journal)

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SOLAR:

• Alliant Energy announces the completion of six solar projects in Wisconsin totaling 514 MW of new capacity. (Capital Times)
• Michigan regulators approve plans for a 245 MW solar project in Indiana that would help power six counties in southwestern Michigan. (MLive)
• Missouri county officials approve plans to issue bonds for the construction and acquisition of a 1,500-acre solar project. (Southeast Missourian)

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PIPELINES: Environmental groups and four tribes will appeal Michigan regulators’ decision to allow plans for an underground tunnel for Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. (MLive)

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OIL & GAS:

• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signs a bill allowing gas companies to charge customers up to $1.50 a month to extend gas lines to support potential large developments. (Cleveland.com)
• Industry leaders expect North Dakota to reach 5 billion barrels of total produced oil by mid-2024, noting the use of captured carbon dioxide will be key for more production. (Prairie Public Broadcasting)

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BIOGAS: Plans for a central Wisconsin anaerobic digester on a dairy farm divide local residents as critics raise groundwater pollution concerns. (Wisconsin Examiner)

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COAL: Decommissioning units of a Wisconsin coal plant in the coming months will require complex steps to keep wastewater treatment, water intake and a conveyor system operational for remaining units. (Journal Sentinel)

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UTILITIES: A new Illinois law that took effect on Jan. 1 prohibits utilities from shutting off power to customers when temperatures reach certain heat thresholds. (Southern Illinoisan)

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GRID: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum declared a statewide emergency on Friday as thousands of residents experienced power outages when an ice storm dismantled power lines. (Associated Press)

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CLIMATE: A new documentary explores researchers’ and advocates’ efforts to find climate solutions in northern Michigan. (Michigan Advance)

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