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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to finalize more than $200 million in grant funding in the coming weeks to accelerate the clean energy transition at three Great Lakes shipping ports.
The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, and the Illinois International Port District were each selected for grants last month under the Biden administration’s Clean Ports Program.
The U.S. EPA said it intends to finalize grant agreements by December or January. That action will obligate the federal government to pay roughly $3 billion in grants under the program, even if President-elect Donald Trump or the next Congress tries to repeal or block further action under the Inflation Reduction Act.
The $94 million grant announced for the Cleveland port is the largest it has ever received and will help it build on work that’s already underway to electrify and decarbonize its infrastructure.
“It puts us at the forefront of decarbonization,” said William Friedman, president and chief executive officer of Cleveland’s port authority. “Now we’ll be able to start figuring out what’s the phase-in and then how do we move forward with the next round.”
The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority will get approximately $25 million for solar panels, charging infrastructure and electric cargo handling equipment, and another $95 million will go to the Illinois EPA for solar, battery storage and hydrogen-related investments at the Illinois International Port District serving greater Chicago.
The largest share of grants will go to ports along the East and West coasts. “But the program is also intended to set the foundation for transitioning the entire port industry to zero emissions,” said Jennifer Macedonia, a deputy assistant administrator for U.S. EPA. “And there are important communities around many of our inland ports as well.”
The shipping industry accounts for roughly 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. While the bulk of that is from ships themselves, port operations typically rely on diesel power for most of their energy. And ships often burn fuel to power equipment even while they’re in port.
The EPA’s review process included ensuring that selected projects can achieve or exceed goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as other pollution that can affect nearby communities, said U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan. Those criteria air pollutants are ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, lead, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
The work is especially important for Ohio, which has lagged other Midwest states and regions in deploying strategies to reduce greenhouse gases, said Valerie Katz, deputy director for Cuyahoga Green Energy. “Our regional decarbonization efforts will reduce environmental exposure to toxic air pollutants for downstream Ohio communities.”
Funding for the Port of Cleveland will encompass work for electric cargo-handling equipment and vessels that serve the port, along with solar generation and battery storage, charging infrastructure and shore power for vessels. Project partners include Logistec USA, the commercial operator for day-to-day operations, as well as the Great Lakes Towing Company, which will build two electric tug boats.
Decarbonization is a “competitive advantage that will attract more shipping volume to our port,” said Baiju Shah, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership. “Companies are striving to reduce their environmental footprints through their operations and value chains,” including Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. “In addition, electrifying the port operations supports our region’s clean air efforts.”
That’s especially important given the port’s location near the downtown lakefront and riverfront areas, Shah said. Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River are the focus for several waterfront development projects aimed at drawing more business and visitors to Cleveland.
Funding for the Port of Detroit will go toward electric cargo-handling equipment, some vessels and railcar movers, along with charging infrastructure and solar generation. Part of the money also will be used to develop a roadmap for adding EV and hydrogen fueling infrastructure. The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority is part of the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen, or MachH2, which was selected last year for $1 billion in Department of Energy funding for a hydrogen hub.
Funding for the Illinois International Port District will cover a variety of projects for its three ports, including hydrogen fueling infrastructure, solar energy and battery storage, and hydrogen and electric cargo handling equipment. Hydrogen and electric locomotives also are on EPA’s program selections list. The Illinois EPA is the lead partner for the grant work.
Like its counterpart in Cleveland, the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority had already begun working on plans to move to cleaner energy sources for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. But zero-emissions equipment to move cargo is new in the U.S. shipping industry and is still generally more expensive than fossil-fueled counterparts.
“What’s great about the EPA grant is that it helps these businesses make the decision to choose this cleaner technology,” said Mark Schrupp, executive director for the Detroit port authority. Over time, costs for such equipment should come down, but the grants will help launch market growth.
Various projects among the 55 selected for grants last month have planning components and provisions for community engagement or workforce development. Planning work on emissions inventories can position other ports to move ahead with clean energy in the future, Macedonia said.
The U.S. EPA plans to move ahead swiftly to finalize grant agreements, which will have the effect of protecting the funds from a possible clawback under Trump or the next Congress.
“We will be awarding the grants in December of 2024 and January of 2025… so that money will be obligated on or before the end of this administration,” Regan said. Depending on the projects, implementation will occur over the next three to four years.
In Cleveland, that means a big chunk of work under the new grant will be taking place even as renovation of the Port of Cleveland’s Warehouse A and electrical work take place under its current projects.
“We’ll have to throw a lot here at the engineers and construction project management people to figure this out,” Friedman said. Yet the timing means it will be that much sooner for the port to move to zero emissions for its own operations.
COAL: Ameren Missouri would spend $61 million on high-efficiency air filters for residents and electric school buses under a proposed agreement to settle past clean air violations at a St. Louis-area coal plant. (Missouri Independent)
ALSO: Indiana regulators approve AES’ plan to transition two coal plant units to run on gas, despite opposition from the coal industry and U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, who was elected Tuesday as the state’s next governor. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
CLEAN ENERGY: The incoming Trump administration is likely to reverse federal regulations limiting emissions from power plants and light- and heavy-duty vehicles, and could jeopardize America’s global climate leadership, experts say. (Canary Media, Inside Climate News)
ELECTION:
SOLAR: A solar installer and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe run an apprenticeship program that promotes workforce development and builds renewable energy projects on tribal land across the Great Plains. (Buffalo’s Fire)
EFFICIENCY: A historic former train station in Detroit that was recently renovated and reopened to house various startups is also equipped with various energy-efficiency upgrades. (FacilitiesNet)
BIOFUELS: Biofuel options outside of corn could play a key role in a more climate-friendly future for Indiana’s biofuels industry. (WFYI)
COMMENTARY: Voters’ rejection of a South Dakota law to regulate carbon pipelines in Tuesday’s election may have been influenced by a broader campaign in the state to vote ‘no’ on several initiatives that were on the ballot, an editor writes. (South Dakota Searchlight)
ELECTIONS: Rhode Island voters approve a $53 million green economy bond bill, which includes $15 million to help develop the Port of Davisville into an offshore wind hub. (Rhode Island Current)
ALSO: Control of the Pennsylvania state House and Senate is still up in the air as of this morning; if Democrats hold on to the House majority and flip the Senate, which is unlikely, it could be good news for Gov. Josh Shapiro’s plans for a carbon cap-and-trade system. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: An unexpected surge in electric vehicle sales in Maine has drained the state’s $3.5 million incentive fund, though low-income buyers are still eligible for rebates. (Maine Public)
OFFSHORE WIND: Turbine blades spotted in transit off the Massachusetts coast are part of a plan to strengthen some of Vineyard Wind’s turbines, after a blade broke and fell into the water in July. (New Bedford Standard-Times)
TRANSMISSION: Preliminary work has begun along the path of a 70-mile transmission line in Maryland, even as opposition remains high and opponents say they will continue to fight the project. (Baltimore Sun, subscription)
NUCLEAR: The owner of Three Mile Island forges ahead with plans to reopen the plant and sell power to Microsoft, following federal regulators’ rejection last week of another plan to colocate a data center at a nuclear plant. (Utility Dive)
GRID: In central Massachusetts, National Grid gets approval for new and upgraded substations and power lines intended to accommodate greater use of solar and energy storage. (Worcester Telegram and Gazette)
SOLAR: In western Massachusetts, a growing number of agrivoltaic projects showcase the commercial potential of installing solar panels on active farmland. (Christian Science Monitor)
COMMENTARY: New York’s plan to require increasing electric truck sales promises significant health benefits, particularly in low-income communities of color, and should not be delayed despite vocal opposition, says an environmental justice advocate. (Streetsblog NYC)
ELECTION: Washington voters reject a ballot measure that would have repealed the state’s landmark 2021 cap-and-invest program. (Washington State Standard)
ALSO:
GRID:
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A California startup runs a low-speed demonstration of its solar-powered electric vehicle. (PV Magazine)
NUCLEAR: Xcel Energy officials consider deploying small modular nuclear reactors in Colorado to replace fossil fuel generation and meet expected long-term power demand growth. (Aurora Sentinel)
BIOFUELS: A firm begins construction on a California facility designed to convert landfill gas to pipeline-grade methane fuel. (news release)
MICROGRIDS: California officials look to improve a state-funded program aimed at developing clean energy-powered microgrids on tribal land. (RTO Insider, subscription)
CLIMATE: Oregon researchers work to develop seaweed-based cattle feed designed to reduce livestock’s methane emissions. (OPB)
COMMENTARY: A Colorado county commissioner says a $2.5 billion federal grant will help Tri-State Generation transition away from coal, curb planet-warming emissions and reduce utility bills. (Colorado Sun)
EMISSIONS: Greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation in New England dropped 4% last year, due to mild weather, lower natural gas prices, and increases in solar and wind energy, the region’s grid operator reports. (Maine Public)
EFFICIENCY: Massachusetts utilities submit their latest three-year energy efficiency plan for regulatory approval, with the goal of installing heat pumps in more than 119,000 homes and creating $13.7 billion in benefits for consumers. (Utility Dive)
GRID:
FOSSIL FUELS: Despite burgeoning power demands from cryptocurrency and AI operations, New York state may have built its last fossil fuel power plant, some clean energy advocates say. (New York Focus)
OFFSHORE WIND:
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Vermont electric aircraft startup tops $1 billion in equity capital, but questions remain about the climate benefits of the technology. (Canary Media)
SOLAR:
COMMENTARY: New York should delay implementation of rules requiring more electric truck sales to allow charging infrastructure and technology to improve, says a spokesperson for the retail lumber industry. (Long Island Press)
UTILITIES: North Carolina regulators approve Duke Energy’s long-term resource plan, which ramps up renewable energy and retires the utility’s final coal plants, but also includes 9 GW of new natural gas-fired power and gives up on the state-mandated goal of cutting emissions 70% by 2030. (Energy News Network)
ALSO:
SOLAR: New solar installations in North Carolina fell 40% from last year after Duke Energy lowered the rate it pays for rooftop solar, but longtime installers remain optimistic because of new home battery incentives. (Energy News Network)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Electric vehicle startup Canoo furloughs 30 workers in Oklahoma as it struggles to raise capital, and company officials report it might have to “terminate or significantly curtail” its operations there. (Tulsa World)
WIND: Members of the Muscogee Nation in Oklahoma say they’re worried about potential environmental and property value impacts from a proposed 100-turbine wind farm. (KOKI)
PIPELINES: Anti-pipeline activists who spent the last decade fighting the Mountain Valley Pipeline turn their efforts to blocking a 26-mile project in Virginia that’s part of a broader Southeast expansion. (WVTF)
STORAGE: A startup receives $20 million in federal funding to build a Texas factory for containers that hold used electric vehicle batteries that can be assembled for stationary energy storage. (Canary Media)
OIL & GAS:
GRID: A Tennessee man faces federal charges for allegedly planning to damage an electrical substation in Nashville with a drone armed with explosives. (CNN)
CLIMATE:
POLITICS: Virginia Congress members call for reauthorization of the landmark 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, which funded abandoned mine land restoration, accelerated the energy transition and paid for transportation projects. (Virginia Mercury)
COMMENTARY: The Tennessee Valley Authority owes an apology to the families of more than 50 workers who helped clean up the utility’s 2008 coal-ash spill in Tennessee and have since died from illnesses related to their exposure, writes a columnist. (Knoxville News Sentinel)
LEGISLATION: Massachusetts lawmakers consider a climate bill that aims to slow the expansion of natural gas and authorizes gas utilities to offer networked geothermal services. (Energy News Network)
ALSO: The bill would also streamline the process of siting and permitting for renewable energy infrastructure, boost deployment of electric vehicle chargers, and support increased energy storage. (WBUR)
SOLAR: Maine officials plan new fees for large-scale solar installations on certain undeveloped land — measures that developers say could make utility-scale solar projects all but impossible. (The Maine Monitor)
GAS: A Pennsylvania community looks to increase the allowable distance between fracking operations and homes, with advocates citing adverse health effects associated with these sites. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
NUCLEAR: Federal regulators reject a request to let Amazon Web Services expand a data center co-located with a Pennsylvania nuclear plant, saying the increased energy use could cause reliability concerns. (RTO Insider, subscription)
GRID: A Maryland utility plans to use a $50 million federal grant to install 11 MW of battery storage capacity and enable additional solar, storage, and electric vehicle charging projects. (Baltimore Sun, subscription)
EFFICIENCY: Rebates for heat pumps, induction stoves, and other energy efficiency measures are expected to be available in New Hampshire by summer 2025, after delays in receiving $70 million in federal funding for the program. (NHPR)
TECHNOLOGY: A Massachusetts start-up promises a clean and affordable way to extract lithium — an essential metal for making electric car batteries — from underground brine. (The Boston Globe)
WIND: The rules governing transportation of wind turbine parts in New York pose a serious obstacle to reaching the state’s goals for onshore wind production, advocates and industry insiders say. (Gothamist)
MICROGRIDS: A New York City utility tests a microgrid combining solar panels, an onsite battery, and electric school buses that can send power to the grid during off hours. (Canary Media)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Delaware plans to use $21 million in state and federal funds to install electric vehicle chargers along busy highway corridors. (Delaware Business Times)
POLITICS: Maine’s plans to develop an offshore wind hub are a central issue in a state legislative race that could signal the area’s level of support for the industry. (Bangor Daily News, subscription)
NOTE TO READERS: This newsletter has been updated to correct the numbers for MidAmerican Energy’s resource plan.
BIOENERGY: As livestock producers tap federal climate funds to build biodigesters, advocates point to the threat that expanding feedlot operations pose to water quality, and call on the EPA to use its emergency authority to address nitrate pollution. (Cedar Rapids Gazette, Iowa Capital Dispatch)
UTILITIES:
NUCLEAR: The CEO of Wisconsin’s Dairyland Power Cooperative says the utility is “absolutely interested” in returning to nuclear power, suggesting smaller nuclear plants could be viable in the next 5-6 years. (Wisconsin State Journal)
GRID:
PIPELINES: A fossil-fuel backed organization has been mailing “weird” newspapers to North Dakota households criticizing years-old pipeline protests ahead of upcoming hearings for developer Energy Transfer’s lawsuit against Greenpeace. (Floodlight / North Dakota News Cooperative)
EQUITY:
NATURAL GAS: A Missouri utility says it is waiting for guidance from regulators on how to design its recently approved $900 million natural gas plant to operate in extreme cold. (KSDK)
WIND: An Iowa community college will decommission its 2.5 MW wind turbine due to age and maintenance needs, a year after the school closed its energy production program. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
MATERIALS: The U.S. EPA has increased air monitoring around a Missouri battery recycling facility that caught fire last week, and says pollution has not exceeded harmful levels since the initial blaze. (Missouri Independent)
FINANCE: Michigan launches a new business accelerator to help lenders access federal climate funds. (Crain’s Detroit Business, subscription)
WIND: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee greenlights the proposed Horse Heaven Hills wind facility in the southern part of the state and urges regulators to streamline turbine permitting, saying it is essential to meeting “urgent clean energy needs.” (Seattle Times)
UTILITIES:
GRID:
CLEAN ENERGY:
CLIMATE:
OIL & GAS: A judge orders a New Mexico oil and gas operator to pay the Navajo Nation, Jicarilla Apache Tribe and federal government more than $3.55 million in lost royalties after she submitted fraudulent drilling production records. (news release)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The Denver Police Department adds 27 electric bicycles to its patrol fleet. (KDVR)
POLITICS: Colorado advocates say Chevron’s support for an election-reform ballot measure is aimed at increasing corporate influence in politics and electing candidates weak on environmental policy. (CPR)
COMMENTARY:
North Carolina regulators on Friday accepted Duke Energy’s controversial plan for curbing carbon pollution, a blueprint that ramps up renewable energy and ratchets down coal power but also includes 9 gigawatts of new plants that burn natural gas.
The biennial plan is mandated under a 2021 state law, which requires Duke to zero out its climate-warming emissions by midcentury and cut them 70% by the end of the decade.
The timing of the order from the North Carolina Utilities Commission, two months ahead of schedule, caught many advocates by surprise. But its content did not: it hewed closely to a settlement deal Duke reached this summer with a trade group for the renewable energy industry; Walmart; and Public Staff, the state-sanctioned ratepayer advocate.
But critics were dismayed by regulators’ abdication of the 2030 deadline. The ruling said Duke no longer needed a plan to make the reductions by decade’s end, instead telling it to “pursue ‘all reasonable steps’ to achieve the [70%] target by the earliest possible date.”
“Major step back on climate,” Maggie Shober, research director at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy,” wrote on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, adding, “for those that say it couldn’t be done, Duke had a 67% reduction by 2030 in its 2020 [long-range plan.] The utility industry generally, and Duke in particular, has had opportunity after opportunity to do better. They chose not to, and here we are.”
And while many observers say the three large gas plants approved in the near-term carbon plan are better than the five originally proposed by Duke, detractors note the facilities still could run afoul of rules finalized this spring by the Biden-Harris administration.
“Duke’s plan isn’t even compliant with the latest EPA regulations related to greenhouse gas pollution,” David Rogers, deputy director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, said in a statement.
Concerns about the Biden-Harris rules, along with doubt that the natural gas plants could be converted to burn carbon-free hydrogen, appeared not to persuade regulators.
“The Commission acknowledges that there are uncertainties and risks associated with new natural gas-fired generation resources, but this is true of all resources,” the panel wrote.
On the contrary, regulators believe Duke can make use of gas plants after the state’s 2050 zero-carbon deadline, even if clean hydrogen doesn’t pan out.
“Accordingly,” the panel said, “the Commission determines that a 35-year anticipated useful life of new natural gas-fired generation and its assumed capital costs are reasonable for planning purposes.”
The greenlight for the gas infrastructure is not absolute, commissioners emphasized in their order, since Duke still must obtain a separate permit for the facilities. But advocates still bemoaned the anticipated impact on customers.
“This order leaves the door open for Duke Energy to stall on carbon compliance in order to develop additional resources, like natural gas, that largely benefit their shareholders over ratepayers,” Matt Abele, the executive director of the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, said via text message.
Still, Abele and other advocates acknowledged the plan’s upsides, including its increase in renewables like solar and batteries. The 2022 plan limited those resources to about 1 gigawatt per year; this year’s version increases the short-term annual addition to about 1.7 gigawatts.
Regulators’ decision to bless 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2034 and call for Duke to complete an “Acquisition Request for Information” by next summer also drew measured praise.
“This order is an overall positive step for offshore wind,” Karly Lohan, North Carolina program manager for the Southeastern Wind Coalition, said in an email, adding, “we still need to see Duke move with urgency and administer the [request for information] as soon as possible.”
With regulators required to approve a new carbon-reduction plan for Duke every two years, advocates are already looking ahead to next year, when the process begins anew.
“Proceedings in 2025 present another chance to get North Carolina back on track to achieving the carbon reduction goals as directed by state law,” Will Scott, Environmental Defense Fund’s director of Southeast climate and clean energy, said in a statement.
“By accelerating offshore wind and solar, the Commission could still set a course for meaningful emissions reductions from the power sector that are fueling the effects of climate change, including dangerous and expensive storms like Hurricane Helene.”
And like Scott, David Neal, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, isn’t giving up on the state’s 2030 carbon-reduction deadline, the commission’s latest order notwithstanding.
“We’ll continue to push for the clean energy future that North Carolinians deserve and that state law and federal carbon pollution limits mandate,” he said in a statement.
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