Environmental Updates from Around the Midwest

February 2021 E-News
New Federal Leadership, New Opportunities for Climate Action in the Midwest ([link removed])

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Climate change is a top priority for the Biden administration, and he has already issued several executive actions ([link removed]) to redress climate change and benefit the Midwest. ELPC is looking forward to working with the new administration on many fronts. Read more about where we see opportunities with rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, taking climate action ([link removed]) , and advancing clean transportation ([link removed]) .

ELPC Calls on Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to Further Investigate Corruption Impacts ([link removed])
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ELPC and the Ohio Environmental Council filed a new motion ([link removed]) stating that the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio’s (PUCO) limited investigation is not enough to protect Ohioans amid the largest corruption scandal in the state’s history involving the First Energy Nuclear Bailout, HB6. As new information on the scandal and former PUCO Chairman Sam Randazzo ([link removed]) ’s ties to Akron-based FirstEnergy continues to come to light, this narrow scope is increasingly insufficient. ELPC is calling for a broader probe into FirstEnergy, Sam Randazzo and his ties to FirstEnergy & affiliates.

“The PUCO seems to be waiting for the federal investigation and conducting only a limited investigation of its own. That’s not enough,” said ELPC Senior Attorney Rob Kelter. “If we’re going to protect Ohio ratepayers, the PUCO must widen its investigation to find out the exact nature of former Chair Sam Randazzo’s ties to FirstEnergy and its affiliates, how those companies guided House Bill 6 through the Legislature, and how state officials let a utility set public policy.”
The Fight Continues to Protect the Midwest from Oil Pipelines ([link removed])

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ELPC is moving forward on two fronts, to protect the Great Lakes and other precious water resources from oil, and to reduce the detrimental impacts of climate change on our region. In Michigan, we have teamed up with the Michigan Climate Action Network (MiCAN) to intervene in the Line 5 tunnel permit case at Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). While we are disappointed with EGLE’s approval ([link removed]) of the first of three permits needed, ELPC Senior Attorney Margrethe Kearney said these actions “are not the end of the story.”

In Minnesota, ELPC is representing the Friends of the Headwaters in the fight to stop Line 3. Our most recent lawsuit argues that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been derelict in its duty for several reasons, including the Corps’ failure to consider the risks of oil spills and the upstream and downstream climate change impacts of the new tar sands pipeline.

Rise Up Midwest: ELPC Joins the Call to Action for a Midwest Clean Energy Transition ([link removed])
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Our partners at the Midwest Renewable Energy Association published a call-to-action report for the Rise Up Midwest coalition on how the Midwest can effectively transition to renewable energy. Check out the three articles that were published by ELPC staff. Senior Attorney Brad Klein’s piece ([link removed]) on page 67, “Compensation for Distributed Energy Resources: Looking Toward the Future”; Senior Policy Advocate MeLena Hessel’s piece ([link removed]) on page 68, “Midwest States Taking Action: Supporting a Cost-Effective Transition to Renewables”; and Staff Attorney Nikhil Vijaykar’s piece ([link removed]) on page 74, “Midwest Grid Planning: Transparency and Inclusion to Maximize the Benefits of Distributed Energy
Resources.”
ELPC NEWS CENTER
The Center Square ([link removed]) : Iowa legislators consider expansion of state solar tax credits program
EGLE News ([link removed]) : Climate justice leaders will develop equity-based framework to guide MI Healthy Climate Plan
NBC News ([link removed]) : Residents of mostly Latino Chicago neighborhood push back against proposed scrap metal plant
ELPC Blog ([link removed]) : Pesticide Peril – ELPC & Partners Defend Farmworkers in Illinois
Bloomberg Law: ([link removed]) Biden Move to Nix Keystone XL Puts Other Pipelines in Bull’s-Eye
Utility Dive: ([link removed]) Want a More Distributed and Lower Cost Power System? Try This New Planning Tool
U.S. News & World Report & Associated Press ([link removed]) : As Biden Seeks a Turn on Environment, Trump Rules to Linger

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