MINING: Developers of a planned Minnesota copper-nickel mine announce a series of studies they say will explore ways to minimize the environmental and energy impact of the project. (Associated Press)
ALSO: The project is an example of a delicate political balance for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as labor and environmental interests take opposing positions. (E&E News)
CLEAN ENERGY:
- Wisconsin is one of only two states that has started offering Inflation Reduction Act home rebates to residents, offering $74.8 million for heat pumps, electrification and energy efficiency projects. (Canary Media)
- Energy Secretary and former Gov. Jennifer Granholm visits a union event in Michigan, highlighting job growth from Inflation Reduction Act investments; meanwhile a new report shows the state has the largest number of announced projects funded by the law. (CBS Detroit, Renewable Energy World)
- Wisconsin voters this week rejected a ballot measure that would have restricted the governor’s ability to disburse federal funds, which could have impacted IRA-related spending in the state. (Associated Press, Inside Climate News)
- The University of Milwaukee will lead an effort to develop clean energy training centers at nine Midwest community colleges, with support from a $5.7 million Department of Energy grant. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
SOLAR:
- City officials in Rockford, Illinois, file a legal objection to a proposed 32-acre solar project on nearby farmland, saying the city plans to eventually annex the land for residential development. (Rockford Register Star)
- Sedgwick County, Kansas, which includes the city of Wichita, approves new rules that include prohibiting solar farms in “urban growth areas,” effectively killing a 103 MW project proposed in 2019. (Wichita Eagle)
GRID: Wisconsin utility Alliant Energy plans to apply for regulatory approval later this year for its Energy Dome storage project, essentially a large balloon filled with compressed carbon dioxide. (E&E News, subscription; Energy News Network archive)
WIND: Omaha’s public utility makes its case for wind energy in a nearby rural county, warning that a lack of in-state generation leaves customers vulnerable to volatile prices on the open market. (KETV)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
- Iowa’s attorney general leads a group of eight states supporting an Ohio lawsuit to block California’s clean car standards. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
- State and federal data show electric vehicle ownership in Michigan is concentrated primarily in wealthy urban and suburban counties, with public charging infrastructure rare in rural parts of the state. (Bridge Michigan)
COAL: Federal funding will help support cleanup of a former Illinois coal mine that will be the site of a $30 million sports complex. (WSIL)
OIL & GAS: North Dakota regulators appoint Nathan Anderson, a 25-year oil industry veteran, to lead the state’s Department of Mineral Resources. (Jamestown Sun)
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