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How a Koch-linked group stalled a bipartisan Ohio energy efficiency bill at the last minute
A bipartisan energy efficiency bill was indefinitely delayed last fall amid a clash between a major conservative lobbying group and one of the state’s most prominent Republican lawmakers, according to previously unreported emails obtained by the Energy News Network. Just before an expected vote to let Ohio utilities offer...
IRA offers lucrative incentives for low-income community solar, but also creates new challenges
Community solar is inherently a way to expand equity in solar access, as advocates describe it, since it makes clean energy and savings accessible to people who lack the capital or the space to install their own arrays. The Inflation Reduction Act has the potential to drive a boom in...
Anonymously funded group stokes local opposition to Ohio solar project
An anonymously funded group is spreading misinformation about a rural Ohio solar project, according to project backers and others who reviewed claims made at a recent event. Knox Smart Development was incorporated last month by Jared Yost, a Mount Vernon resident and opponent of the planned 120 megawatt Frasier Solar project. Three weeks later, on Nov. 30, the group hosted a catered “town hall meeting” at a Mount Vernon theater that included speakers with ties to fossil fuel and climate denial groups.
Green hydrogen could make Minnesota a leader in climate-friendly steel
The following story is the fourth in a series produced in collaboration with KAXE/KBXE, an independent, nonprofit community radio station that tells the stories of northern Minnesota. A Hoyt Lakes native leading a regional hydrogen partnership says the emerging fuel source could someday help make Minnesota’s Iron Range a leader...
Community solar projects seen as key step toward energy justice in Illinois
An effort led by Chicago’s Blacks in Green has been recommended for $12.5 million in renewable energy credits to help develop three community solar projects to benefit underresourced communities. The three projects totaling 9 MW are valued at $25.7 million and will be developed by the Green Energy Justice...
How giving trucks an electric boost can help cut mining pollution in Minnesota
The following story is the third in a series produced in collaboration with KAXE/KBXE, an independent, nonprofit community radio station that tells the stories of northern Minnesota. A Minnesota taconite mining company and its electric utility are seeking federal funding for a demonstration project aimed at slashing diesel fuel use...
Minnesota taconite mines explore new technology to reduce energy, water use
The following story is the second in a series produced in collaboration with KAXE/KBXE, an independent, nonprofit community radio station that tells the stories of northern Minnesota. Minnesota taconite mine operator Cleveland-Cliffs is testing a new method for treating industrial wastewater in hopes of decreasing water, chemical and energy use...
Low-emissions steelmaking could be big business for Minnesota’s Iron Range, experts say
The following story is the first in a series produced in collaboration with KAXE/KBXE, an independent, nonprofit community radio station that tells the stories of northern Minnesota. World leaders in Dubai this week are concluding the latest United Nations conference on climate change, where experts and advocates repeated urgent pleas...
Burgeoning hydrogen industry draws $41 million in federal lobbying from fossil fuel companies
This story was produced in partnership with OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that tracks money in politics. Jimmy Cloutier is the political reporter at opensecrets.org. He can be reached at jcloutier@opensecrets.org. The number of companies and organizations lobbying the federal government on issues related to hydrogen increased nearly tenfold since...
Group representing NASCAR and other N.C. companies says Duke Energy needs to pick up the pace on clean energy
Charlotte-based NASCAR, like so many of its Fortune 500 advertisers, has lofty goals to reduce its carbon footprint and invest in renewable energy. But just as stock-car racing has long held prominence in the Southeast, so too have electric utility monopolies. And unlike in neighboring Virginia, which has its own share of speedways, large customers in North Carolina can’t buy renewable energy in a competitive wholesale market.
Randazzo indictment sparks renewed calls for full regulatory review in Ohio
Despite critics’ calls for an investigation and other actions following a criminal indictment against Ohio’s former utilities commission chair, it’s unclear whether regulators will shift course any time soon. Sam Randazzo, who previously chaired the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, has been charged with conspiracy to commit...
Why an Ohio welding supply company is getting into the electric vehicle charging business
A 128-year-old Cleveland-area industrial equipment manufacturer is among the newest makers of fast chargers for the growing electric vehicle market. Lincoln Electric’s new Velion DC fast charger adapts and adds to technology the company has used for its welding machines and other heavy-duty power equipment. The innovation is an...
A year after record heating oil price spike, heat pump demand hums along in Maine
A year after the war in Ukraine drove record-high fossil fuel prices for winter heating in oil-dependent Maine, demand for efficient electric heat pumps remains steady despite new challenges. Spikes in fuel prices don’t tend to immediately translate to increased heat pump demand, officials said, but rather may spark new...
Opponents appeal decision to allow drilling under Ohio state parks and wildlife areas
Environmental groups filed an appeal Thursday, challenging recent decisions by an Ohio regulatory commission to allow drilling under a state park and two state wildlife areas. Those decisions currently call for sections of Salt Fork State Park, Zepernick Wildlife Area and Valley Run Wildlife Area to be leased to the highest and best bidder, with the bidding period set to start in January.
New Hampshire seeks IRA grant to help low-income residents tap the benefits of solar
New Hampshire’s Department of Energy has requested a $70 million federal grant to expand community solar programs for low-income residents, an infusion of funds that supporters said could lower energy bills, accelerate decarbonization, and perhaps even catalyze the development of much-needed affordable housing. “It’s just going to be life-changing...
Black-led Chicago nonprofit sees cycling as a tool for building healthy communities
Biking within Black and Brown communities is complicated. While non-motorized transportation is an important tactic for reducing emissions, many people still associate biking with something that kids do — or think of it as the last resort for people who can’t afford cars. In BIPOC communities, that is...
Solar installers and fire officials look for compromise on Massachusetts fire code
A group of Massachusetts solar installers are working with the state to modify fire codes that they say are too restrictive and are limiting the scale of residential solar arrays. “We are not at the finish line, but both sides have been extremely cooperative and collaborative,” said Nick D’Arbeloff, vice...
Microgrid model spreads in Massachusetts as cities look to lessen costs, outages
A pair of community microgrid projects in Massachusetts are already helping to inspire similar projects in the state before construction has even begun. The city of Chelsea and Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood are each developing projects that supporters hope can become powerful case studies for the potential of microgrids to increase resilience and create other benefits for residents.
Critics say Indiana utility is ‘backsliding’ on clean energy goals with planned gas plant
Northern Indiana Public Service Co. is planning to build a 400-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant that critics say is unnecessary, out of step with clean energy goals, and happening outside the usual planning process. In September, the utility asked the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission for a needed certificate of public...
Maine hopes IRA money will get heat pumps to more people, especially in multifamily housing
Maine is drafting plans for its share of nearly $9 billion in home energy and efficiency rebate funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, with a straw proposal due out by the end of the year for input from contractors and other professionals who will be on the front lines of promoting new and expanded incentives to the public.
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